- Emma Stone, The Amazing Spider-Man, 2010.
- Amy Adams, Man of Steel, 2011.
- Alicia Vikander, Seventh Son, 2011. When Jennifer Lawrence quit for The Hunger Games trilogy, the Glee TV star tested for Alice in Russian director Sergei Bodrov’s project. So did two Brits: Felicity Jones and Imogen Potts. But the gorgeous Swede won. The film was not released until 2015.
- Saoirse Ronan, The Host, 2012. Change of Maggie Stryder in Andrew Niccol’s film ofthe Twilight author Stephenie Meyer’s sf book.
- 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 Leigh was just two years older than the dowdier Vera Miles (played by Jessica Biel), most actresses were up for either role…
- Jessica Biel, Hitchcock, 2012. …the candidates included Dianna Agron, Camilla Belle, Abby 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 Bie (chosen for Vera Miiles) 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).
- Taylor Swift, The Giver, 2013. Jeff Bridges has the title role – at last! He was first to win rights to Lois Lowry’s novel in the 90s and spent 20 years trying to achieve his goal – of directing his father, Lloyd, in it. And Jeff did so, in a home movie test piece. “Somewhere in some garage,” Jeff told the Nerdist Podcast, “there’s a version of this movie with my father playing The Giver. Bud Cort narrates the whole thing. Beau’s kids: one is shooting it, one is playing Jonas. We did the whole book, so that’s around. Somewhere.”
- Alicia Vikander, Seventh Son, 2014. After Jennifer Lawrence passed on the medieval thriller, Agron, Felicity Jones, Imogen Poots tested for the Russian director Sergey Bodrov before he chose the lovely Swede.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 8