Scarlett Johansson has accomplished many accolades and played several amazing, versatile roles, working with several A-list directors. But playing the dream role is something special and every actor does not get to be there despite the immense struggle for it. Johanson has rejected many roles and she rightfully owned that power of choice. But like most actors, several movie roles also slipped out of hands.

Scarlett Johansson

Of course, she does not regret it anymore, but Johansson had too much invested in Anne Hathaway’s role in Les Misérables. She was too close for the part, but the makers decided to go with Hathaway instead of her. The film later went on to become a critical and commercial success,  further gaining classic status.

Scarlett Johansson on Losing Les Misérables Role to Anne Hathaway

Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation (2003)

Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of Fantine in the Tom Hooper-directed 2012 epic period musical Les Misérables was iconic. The film won three Oscars including Hathaway’s Best Supporting Actress. Several other actors were considered for the character of Fantine, including Jessica Biel, Amy Adams, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Rebecca Hall, but Scarlett Johansson dreamed a dream for the role. “I sang my little heart out,” the Black Widow actor said.

“No, are you kidding? The jazz hands kid inside me was just over the moon! And I auditioned with laryngitis. I did everything I could to, like, not have laryngitis. And I think looking at the film now, there’s no possible way I ever could have topped that performance [by Anne Hathaway].” 

“It was perfect and I think fateful and meant to be. But, yes, the audition itself brought back so many memories of auditioning for Les Miz for the young Cosette, and it was fun for me to revisit that,” Johansson told Broadway.com.
Johansson moved on and went on to feature in several blockbusters that shaped her career and made her one of the highest-paid actors. But she appreciates Hathaway’s commendable performance and confessed she could never top that.

Other Roles Scarlett Johansson Could Have Been a Part Of

Scarlett Johansson

Johansson could have been a part of many other iconic roles. Some she turned down while being rejected for a fair amount of roles herself. Despite being a successful actor, she was rejected for over ten movie projects.

Johansson auditioned for the part of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With The Dragan Tattoo but was rejected by the makers. Director David Fincher said that Johansson was great, but rejected her for a very weird reason,
“It was a great audition, I’m telling you. But the thing with Scarlett is, you can’t wait for her to take her clothes off.”
It is no secret that many A-list celebrities had their falcon eyes for the role of Ryan Stone in Gravity, which apparently also includes Johansson. However, according to the director Alfonso Cuarón, she was not a perfect fit for his vision of the character. He said that he wanted someone older for the part and the role eventually went to Sandra Bullock.

As per reports, Johansson was also in the early talk for the role of Evey Hammond in V For Vendetta, but she lost the iconic role to Natalie Portman. She was also considering DCU entry auditioning for Lois Lane, the love interest of Superman. However, Kate Bosworth got the part. Further, she was rejected for the role of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound Of Music London Stage Revival, and several other films that include, Elizabethtown, Jumanji, The Craft, and The Parent Trap Remake.

However, the Marriage Story actor also has a list of films she rejected. She turned down Rub And Tug, My Week With Marilyn, The Great Gatsby, and Thumbsucker. Per reports, Johansson was set to play Lindsay Farris in Mission Impossible III, however, due to scheduling conflicts she left the film.

Source: The Things