- Anne Hathaway, Brokeback Mountain, 2004. Hollywood was not keen on Annie Prouix’s 1977 short story – two gay shepherds in Wyoming, get outa here! Until directors (more than actors) queued to make it. Ang Lee, Joel Schumacher and Gus Van Sant, etc. Sienna was booked for an audiiton as Lureen Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal’’s wife) but was struck down with “a terrible cough.” Hathaway rushed over during her lunch-break from shooting The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and tested in her royal ball-gown and wig!
- Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener, 2004. “They made the right decision about that one.” said Sienna recalling how she turned up for her audition with “pond green”hair. She’d dyed her blonde tresses brown – but going “all organic and hippy, usinghenna instead of normal hair colour.” Rachel won a Best Actress Oscar.
- Lena Headey, 300, 2006. Both Sienna and Italian Silvia Colloca lost the heroic Spartan queen Gorgo (“only Spartan women give birth to real men”) to the Bermuda-born Brit.
- Gemma Arterton,St Trinian’s, 2007. Sienna lost Kelly Jones to Gemma, not yet the toast of the nation (and 007 geeks) in Quantum of Solace, 2008.After that, everyone lost roles to Gemma.
- Mischa Barton, Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain, 2008. The former star of The OC took overSienna’s role and joined ex-West Winger Martin Sheen inthe tragedy about India’s worst chemical disaster.
- Cate Blanchett, Robin Hood, 2009. Russell Crowe allegedly threw his (at the time, not inconsiderable) weight around UK director Ridley Scott’s much delayed epic about Nottingham – the original title – including pushing Sienna out of the flick. “Wasn’t my call, actually,” said Crowe. “It’s more that I’m too old and fat! The way we changed the character, we needed somebody who was going to be resilient. And Cate is superb in this film… excellent to work with, a great partner in crime.” Earlier Sherwood candidates had included Emily Blunt, Zooey Deschanel, Scarlett Johansson, Anglina Jolie, Natalie Portman, Saoirse Ronan,Rachel Weisz and Kate Winslet. Ridley Scott said the only good Sherwood movie was made by … Mel Brooks!
- Rachel McAdams, Sherlock Holmes, 2009. All set to be Irene Adler,the solewoman to conquer – and break – Holmes’ heart… until her ex-lover, Jude Law, signed on as Dr Watson. Flash! That was Miller fleeing in t’other direction.
- Kate Hudson, Nine, 2009.
- Kate Hudson, The Killer Inside Me, 2009. As directors changed from Andrew Dominik and Marc Rocco to Michael Winterbottom, so did the favourites to play Amy Stanton,girlfriend of the mild-spoken, intellectual psychopath. From Sienna to Katherine Heigl, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williamsand, finally, Kate.
- Sandra Bullock, Gravity, 2012. Once Angelina Jolie passed (twice), they all wanted the 3D sf special written by Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron and his son, Jonas – Sienna, Abbie Cornish, Marion Cotillard, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johannsson, Blake Lively, Casey Mulligan, Natalie Portman, Naomi Watts, Olivia Wilde…Because the female astronaut is alone on-screen for most of the movie. (Sorry about that, George Clooney).
- Katharine Waterston, The Current War, 2016. Witty title about Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse creating an electricity system for the USA. Miller was in the loop before Mrs W went to Watertston – the London-born daughter of the star of The Killing Fields and Law & Order, Sam Waterston.
- Alicia Vikander, Tomb Raider, 2017. Lara Croft is the girls’ James Bond. Many tried to succeed Angelina Jolie from her 2000 version – she won it from 20 candidates. Two dozen lost to the Swedish Vikander, on a roll with her 2016 Danish Girl Oscar and Ex Machinarobot…The Franchise Brigade was represented by two from the Percy Jackson flicks (Alexandra Daddario, Rosario Dawson), two Terminators (Emilia Clarke, Summer Glau), two Underworlders (Kate Beckinsale, Rhona Mitra) and three Twilighters (Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Kristen Stewart who simply refused). Plus 007’s Gemma Arterton, Harry Potter’s Emma Watson, Marvel’s Wanda Maximioff (Elizabeth Olsen), Star Wars’Daisy Ridley, Transformers’ Megan Fox, TRON’s Olivia Wilde, X Men’s Jennifer Lawrence, Other also-rans were: Jessica Biel (as perfect as Dawson), Emily Blunt, Emily Browning, Cara Delevingne (Vikander’s co-star in Tulip Fever,2017), Nina Dobrev, Anne Hathaway, Sienna Miller (too mild, surely), Saoirse Ronan and Moon’s Kaya Scodelario.
- Zazie Beetz, Deadpool 2, 2017. A hunt for a new director and for the girl known as Domino was happening sumultaneously. David Leitch won the chair (after his Deadpool short, No Good Deed) and the Berlin-born trilingual American stunner known as Zazie won the girl. From: Sofia Boutella (of Star Trek Beyond), Lizzy Caplan, Canadian Mackenzie Davis, The Knick’s Eve Hewson, Sienna Miller, Kansas City singer Janelle Monáe, Kelly Baywatch Rohrbach, Ruby Rose (from Orange Is The New Black), Kerry Washington, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Plus Spectre’s Bond Girls:Dutch Sylvia Hoeks and Mexican Stephanie Sigman. Beetz was so great, she deserved her own movie… and not just joining the guys again in X Force.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 13