- Heather Menzies, The Sound of Music, 1964. In director Robert Wise’s loop for Louisa Von Trapp. Her younger sister, Angela, 13, did better and won the part of Brigitta Von Trapp. Critic Pauline Kael famously tried to bury “the sugar-coated lie that people seem to want to eat” but it saved Fox from the near bankruptcy of the Cleopatra debacle.
- Sigourney Weaver, Alien, 1979. Kay Lenz and Meryl Streep (!) were also up for Ripley, the most iconic woman in sf movies. Originally a guy. (Of course). Well, the ex-Star Beastscript stated all the crew was unisex, could be male or female. Cartwright only found out she’d struck out when called back for costume tests as Marty Lambert in Ridley Scott’s perfect sf movie.
- Yeardley Smith, The Simpsons, TV, 1989-2009. “I went in, saw Lisa, and didn’t really see anything I could sink my teeth into. But the audition piece for Bart was right there, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, ten years old, under-achiever and proud of it? Yeah, man – that’s the one I want to do!” And so she became Bartholomew Jojo Simpson – two years and 38 days older than Lisa. The Ohio blonde also supplied voices in Kim Possible, Lilo & Stitch, Pink Panther, Rugrats, Sesame Street – but refused South Park as too offensive.
- Jenny Agutter, Child’s Play 2, 1990. Playing Cleopatra in Amazon Women on the Moon was one thing, but accepting the killer-doll sequel was quite another.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 4