Actors Who Lost Out On Movie Roles For Petty Reasons

Every actor has a story about a blown take because of uncontrollable laughter; movie sets and auditions are high-pressure scenarios, and it’s natural that some performers respond with a fit of the giggles. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” actor Tom Holland recalled an instance in which laughter upended a very important audition on a 2021 episode of the YouTube series “Hot Ones.” While doing his best to endure a variety of scalding hot sauces, Holland recalled that his audition to play Finn in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was ruined by his scene partner, who was voicing a droid.

“I just remember thinking there’s no way this lady’s going to read the robot’s lines opposite me, because that would be ridiculous,” declared Holland. “I don’t remember what my line was, but it was [something like], ‘Let’s get back to the Falcon!’ and this lady, bless her, would sit there with full commitment and was like, ‘Be-boop-be-boop.’”

“I remember saying, ‘You’re not actually going to do that, right?’ And she was like, ‘Well yeah, the robot’s part of the scene, he’s the character,”‘ said Holland. “I just got the giggles, because you know when you realize you’ve got something so wrong? I just couldn’t stop laughing.” 

While he didn’t end up joining the “Star Wars” franchise, Holland did land the coveted role of Spider-Man, which is maybe the greatest consolation prize ever.