Angelina Jolie’s iconic role was nearly lost to other actresses, potentially altering the Pitt-Jolie love story trajectory.

Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith will never not be iconic. The two stars, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, with their electrifying chemistry, lit the big screens on fire, and people were instantly hooked. Reflecting on the movie, its iconic status is further emphasized by the whirlwind romance between the two stars that followed. In hindsight, it’s difficult to imagine any other actress embodying Mrs. Smith as perfectly as Jolie did. Surprisingly, Jolie wasn’t the initial choice for the role.

So, here’s a list of actresses who almost got the role.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Mr and Mrs Smith
Four Actresses Angelina Jolie Almost Lost This Role to, Changing the Jolie-Pitt Love Story Forever!

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman in The Stepford Wives
At the very beginning, Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman were set to star in the movie. Although the director, Doug Liman, was initially uncertain about the script, the concept however intrigued him. He thus had an interesting vision in his mind that the two stars could help him bring to life on screen.

However, soon after, the actress started shooting another film called The Stepford Wives and therefore was unfortunately unable to align her schedule with the project. Speaking on the matter Liman said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly,
“On their first week of shooting, they were like, We’re [already] two and a half months behind schedule. [Laughter] And that’s the day we were like, She can’t do our movie. Which really broke my heart, ’cause I knew what was going to happen next: We were gonna lose Brad. And at some point during that process, sure enough, he did say, I’m passing. I was actually out to dinner with my family at some Chinese restaurant [when Pitt bowed out]. I had to face my family and say, The film just fell apart.”
But although Nicole Kiman backed out, Pitt stayed.

Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow in Spider-Man: Homecoming
After Kidman left the scene, the director toyed with the idea of introducing Gwyneth Paltrow to the roster, considering that Pitt and Paltrow were already exes. This would have potentially enhanced their chemistry on screen. In the same EW interview, he stated,
 “I had been interested in casting Gwyneth Paltrow opposite Brad Pitt. Because they’re really exes. Think of the spectacle of that. Fireworks could really fly in that situation. Because I’m sure there’s some s— one of them was mad at the other one for. You find out what that baggage is and bring it out at the right moment, with the camera rolling. My producers were like, Look, that’s a great idea. But Brad is a human being. Even if he was game for it, it’s wrong for us to put him in a situation where he’s going to have to relive the demons of a relationship. That’s just a little bit too mad-scientist.”

Consequently, the director had to abandon this intriguing idea. The vision of pairing Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow on screen, while enticing, ultimately had to be left behind for the sake of the actors and their mental health.

Cate Blanchett

Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett in The Aviator
Following Paltrow, Cate Blanchett entered the picture. Her name especially stood out due to a photo shoot she did, exuding subtle spy vibes. The director revealed,
“We really liked Cate Blanchett. Around that time, she’d come out with a [magazine-ad] photo spread where she looked like a spy. But she wasn’t available — she was doing The Aviator.”
Although the director flirted with the idea for a while, it didn’t come to fruition as the actress was already committed to her role in The Aviator. Catherine Zeta-Jones’ name also came up following that but people didn’t really see her paired up with Pitt as a secret spy.

Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani in The Aviator
Another The Aviator actress who almost took the role away from Angelina Jolie was Gwen Stefani. In an interview with Howard Stern on the radio, the actress revealed,
“I feel like I almost got it. I went to a bunch of auditions,–It was very competitive and I wanted to do it, but I wanted to do music more.”
Although the star auditioned, it appeared that Angelina Jolie eventually emerged victorious in the running.

After much hassle, the role eventually landed in Angelina Jolie’s hands, and the instant chemistry between the two was palpable. Some could sense that this foreshadowed what was to come. Pitt soon found himself separated from his then-wife, Jennifer Aniston, and began a new romantic relationship. The pair swiftly became an IT Hollywood couple. After several years of dating and raising six children together, the couple eventually tied the knot in 2014.

Although Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, it has been a messy ride since then, but that’s a story for another time.