Actors Fired Before Filming: Shocking Movie Castings

Movie productions occasionally see actors dismissed before cameras roll, often leading to surprising headlines. Christian Bale uniquely experienced being hired, fired, and then rehired for the role of Patrick Bateman in 'American Psycho.'

Ryan Gosling was replaced in Peter Jackson's 'The Lovely Bones' after gaining 60 pounds, a decision director Jackson later attributed to casting errors rather than actor fault.

Vincent Gallo infamously claimed to have fired both Kirsten Dunst and Winona Ryder from his film 'The Brown Bunny' prior to production, citing agent issues and publicity stunts respectively.

Ashton Kutcher was briefly cast in 'Elizabethtown,' intended to replace Orlando Bloom, but the role ultimately reverted to Bloom when Kutcher's performance was deemed unsuitable.

Julianne Moore was fired from 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' six days before filming commenced due to creative differences with the original director, Nicole Holofcener.

Timothy Olyphant and Aidan Quinn were both mistakenly cast as the same character, Gary, in 'Practical Magic,' leading to Olyphant's immediate dismissal.

Natalie Portman was initially cast as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet' but was replaced by the studio due to her age difference with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Stuart Townsend was fired from 'The Lord of the Rings' the day before filming began, with director Peter Jackson seeking an older actor, leading to Viggo Mortensen taking the role.