- Drew Barrymore, Scream, 1996. At first, director wanted Drew as his heroine – and Sevigny, the new girl on the block from Kids, as the first victim of the Munch-masked serial killer. Then. Barrymore wisely suggested it would be a bigger shock for the audience if she were Casey Becker… and died early. It had worked well for Janet Leigh in Psycho…
- Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry, 1998. With so many actresses scared of portraying the life and 1993 murder of a young transgender man called Brandon Teena, auteur Kimberly Pierce almost dropped plans for a featiure version of her short film. More willing candidates for Brandon included Alison Folland, Lisa Jakub, Katherine Moennig (the 2004-2009 L Word star) and Chloe Sevigny (who played Lana). And Alicia Goranson, who won Candace, based on Lisa Lambert, who was murdered alonbgside Brandon. Hilary won a new friend. Called Oscar.
- Kate Hudson, Almost Famous, 2000. Looking for his Penny Lane groupie in his semi-autobiographical look back to his Rolling Stone reporter daze, auteur Cameron Crowe saw 48 of LA’s bright young things… Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Lara Flynn Boyle, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Claire Danes, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jenna Elfman, Jennie Garth, Maggie Gyllenhal, Alyson Hannigan, Angie Harmon, Anne Heche, Katherine Heigl, Jordan Ladd, Kimberly McCullough (busier as a TV director these days, High School Musical: The Musical – The Series, etc), Rose McGowan, Bridget Moynahan, Brittany Murphy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laura Prepon, Lindsay Price, Christina Ricci, Rebecca Romijn, Winona Ryder, Chloë Sevigny, Marley Shelton, Tori Spelling, Mena Suvari, Uma Thurman, Liv Tyler, Lark Voorhies. Plus the English Saffron Burrows, Anna Friel, Thandiwe Newton and Rachel Weisz, Madrid’s Penélope Cruz, the French Charlotte Gainsbourg, Canada’s Natasha Henstridge, Ukrainian Milla Jovovich, Scottish Kelly Macdonald, Israeli Natalie Portman, German Franka Potente, Australian Peta Wilson and Welsh Catherine Zeta-Jones. And the winner, Canada’s Sarah Polley, simply split. (Silly girl). Crowe then chose Kate (previously booked for Anita) because “she seemed more like a free spirit.” But, but, but… Chloë was the freest spirit in all Hollywood. As she proved two years later in The Brown Bunny… in a way the others would never have dared.
- Selma Blair, Legally Blonde, 2001. Chloë’s brother (a bar-owner and DJ) wouldn’t talk to her for three weeks on hearing she’d rejected $500,000t o be Vivian Kensington in in the far from official sequel to Clueless,1994. As Chloe once declared: “I’m most proud of my integrity.”
- Jennifer Connelly, A Brilliant Mind, 2001. If the choice of the right actor to portray the schizophrenic Noble Prize-winning mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr was vital, selecting his screen wife was even more so – hence an Oscar for Connelly and not for Russell Crowe. The other candidates included Julie Bowen, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, Geena Davis, Kirsten Dunst, Portia De Rossi, Claire Forlani, Rachel Griffiths, Teri Hatcher, Famke Janssen, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine McCormack, Mary McCormick, Mia Maestro, Rhona Mitra, Julia Ormond, Amanda Peet, Christina Ricci, Meg Ryan, Chloe Sevigny, Alicia Silverstone, Mira Sorvino, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman, Rachel Weisz. PS Emily Watson was rejected as “too British” – while Salma Hayek was seen because Alicia Nash came from El; Salvador… which must have meant the others were too American, Australian, South African, etc. Director Ron Howard seemed to forget they were all actresses. Odd that, as he used to be one.
- Amy Adams, Catch Me If You Can, 2002. So many directors came and went… Cameron Crowe, David Fincher… Lasse Hallstroim talked to Chole about being Frank’s fiancee… .
- Jennifer Garner, Catch Me If You Can, 2002. … while director Gore Verbinksi voted for her as the hooker sharing a great scene with Frank – aka Leonardo DiCaprio when Steven Spielberg elected Miss Alias asCheryl Ann,
- Julia Stiles, Mona Lisa Smile, 2003. To prepare for their roles, the leads went through a fortnight in a Bryn Mawrish (or Mawrich) finishing school.
- Kerry Washington, Mr & Mrs Smith, 2005. Add Chloë to the assassin’s body count of 43 kills.
- Lauren Ambrose, Where The Wild Things Are, 2005. Sevigny and Michelle Williams were seen (and heard) for the voice of KW – “an eight-foot-tall Neanderthal, that looks just like me,” said Ambrose. Catherine O’Hara and the great James Gandolfini voiced other grouchy things… Spike Jonze started shooting in 2005. Warner Bros hated the non-kidstuff result (exactly why Disney gave up on Maurice Sendak’s book in the 80s) and rejigged the film and the release for four years!
- Scarlett Johansson, Hitchcock, 2012. Thirty-two years after his death, Alfred Hitchcock’s back in business! With two films headlined by UK actors (Anthony Hopkins, Toby Jones) in bad impressions and fat suits. This is the first before the cameras – Hopkins making Psycho. And telling Scarlett’s Janet Leigh: “You can call me Hitch. Hold the cock.” As Janet Leigh was just two years older than the dowdier Vera Miles (played by Jessica Biel), most actresses were up for either role…
- Jessiac Biel, Hitchcock, 2012. …the candidates included Dianna Agron, Camilla Belle, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Natalie Dormer, Sarah Gadon, Ashley Greene, Kate Mara, Brit Marling, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chloe Sevigny, Mary Elizabeth Winstead., Reese Witherspoon, Evan Rachel Wood… plus Jessica Biel (chosen for Vera Miles) and January Jones, who was also up for the role of Tippi Hedren in the Hitch-making-The Birds TV drama, The Girl, seen first in October 2012. (Timothy Spall was booked as her Hitchcock, finally portrayed by Toby Jones opposite Sienna Miller).
- Chloe Bridges, The Final Girls, 2014. One Chloë for another… Sevigny was keen on Paula but was making another movie. Had to be better than this, fllpped-over Purple Rose Of Cairo. Imagine Mia Farrow entering the actual film – and it’s a slasher movie starring her (dead) mother, joining her pals stuck in scary 80s action . They wanted to go home. So did I.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 12