Actor Andrew Garfield recently spoke up during an interview that he was rejected for the role of Prince Caspian from the ‘Chronicles Of Narnia’ series as he was not handsome enough. While speaking to Variety, Garfield said, “I remember I was so desperate. I auditioned for Prince Caspian in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and I thought, ‘This could be it, this could be it.’ And that handsome, brilliant actor Ben Barnes ended up getting the role. I think it was down to me and him, and I remember I was obsessed.”
He went to add that he pestered his agent to find out the reason as to why he was turned down, and his agent came back with the reply, "It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew.”
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Actors get rejected every single day but getting rejected for their looks, whether its facial or physical appearance, is something that people don’t do openly. Garfield’s case isn’t the first time an actor has been rejected on these grounds. We go down memory lane and find out some of the most talked-about instances when actors spoke up about getting rejected for their looks, physical appearance, or were told that they wouldn’t make it big because of the way they looked.
Amy Schumer
For her breakthrough film ‘Trainwreck’, actress Amy Schumer had to lose a lot of weight. She said, however, that she felt terrible about how emaciated she seemed in the film and 'revenge ate' to go back to her previous appearance. She also said that the main reason she dropped weight was that she was told she would never be successful if she didn't lose weight and that she was only offered parts that required her to appear a specific way. In an interview, Schumer once said, “I’m what Hollywood calls, very fat. Somebody, like, explained to me, ‘Just so you know, Amy, no pressure, but if you weigh over 140 lbs, it will hurt people’s eyes.’”
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Meryl Streep
When Meryl Streep hit 40, the great performer was told she was 'too old' for parts. “I would say our culture is pretty youth-obsessed. When I was 40, I was offered three witch (roles). I was not offered any female adventurers or love interests or heroes or demons. I was offered witches because I was ‘old’ at 40,” Streep had said in an interview. However, she acknowledged that the profession has evolved since then and that she can now choose from a range of jobs she enjoys at the age of 71.
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway, in an interview, discussed how women are placed in roles and how younger actresses are playing parts her age. The entertainment business is always on the lookout for younger performers to play roles that aren't age-appropriate. “When I was in my early twenties, parts would be written for women in their fifties and I would get them. And now I'm in my early thirties and I'm like, 'Why did that 24-year-old get that part?’” Hathaway had said.
Jennifer Lawrence
As Jennifer Lawrence refuses to starve herself for parts, the actor claims she is deemed "too heavy" and "huge" in Hollywood. “When I was much younger and starting out, I was told by the producers of a film to lose 15 pounds in two weeks. One girl before me had already been fired for not losing enough weight fast enough,” Lawrence had said in an interview. She has since then also spoken out publicly against the industry's harmful weight-loss culture.
Mindy Kaling
A TV network once gave the popular comedian and actor Mindy Kaling a sketch program, but she had to apply for it. However, she was rejected later because she was deemed unfit to portray her own self. Kaling went on to star in the monstrous hit ‘The Office’, which aired for many years after this occurrence. “We were not considered attractive or funny enough to play ourselves. That network is no longer on the air, and The Office went on to be one of NBC's most hit shows in years. I feel like karmically, I was vindicated, but at the time it felt terrible,” Kaling had said in an interview.
