Famke Janssen

 

  1. Terry Farrell, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, TV, 1993-1997.    The role of (what became) Jadzia Dax was initially created for the Dutch girl -except she preferred to hang loose for possible moves.
  2. Elle McPherson, The Bookworm, 1997.    A Bond Girl makes good…
  3. Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento, 1999.    Director Christopher Nolan got stuck in the J pages when trying to locate the best Natalie: Janssen, AngelinaJolie, Ashley Judd.He then whetted his thumb and flicked to M…
  4. Natasha Henstridge,  Ghosts of Mars, 2001.    Or how  auteur John Carpenter lost his public.   He aimed for a “mindless and silly” thriller, a la Commando and Rambo,  and the fans thought  it was straight horror . “It’s called Ghosts Of Mars for Christ’s sake, why would people take this movie seriously?”  He had gone through some choice choices for his leading lady. From the fiirst signed Courtney Love (injured ed) and Famke Janssen (death in the family) to Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Franka Potenta, Yeadley Smith.  and Michelle Yeoh. He didn’t make another film for nine years and when  he did, his wife, Cindy King called The Ward his chick flick, The line-up (choice again) included  Mika Boorem, Lyndsy Fonseca, Mamie Gummer, Amber Heard, Laura-Leigh and  Danielle Panabaker. 
  5. Lara Flynn Boyle, Men in Black II, 2001.    Janssen was playing the svelte alien, Serleena,  when she has to leave the sequel due to a death in her family.  Her possible replacements included Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez and Yeadley Smith.  Man in Black Jay (Will Smith) had co-starred with Boyle in Where The Day Takes You, 1991. Serleena, by tghe way, was  a shapeshifting Kylothian who had taken the form of a lingerie model.  Honest.
  6. 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.
  7. Melora Walters, Wise Girls, 2002.      “I would rather not work than play in a movie that nobody watches.”
  8. Kristanna Loken, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, 2003.    Famke should really discussimage with her agent.Aftertrying for the Amazonian Terminatrix hunting down Arnold Schwarzenegger, she was atransexual in Nip/Tuck, TV, 2004.
  9. Charlize Thereon, Aeon Flux, 2005.Didn’t want to know about bringing lifeto theMTV animation heroine.
  10. Anna Friel, Bathory, Slovakia, UK-Hungary, 2008.      She suddenly backed out of playing history’sworst female serial killer, Countess Erzsébet Bathory (bathing invirgins’ blood to stay young). UK star Friel got her baby-sitter to help write a letter in Slovak to director Juraj Jakubisko to convince him that she perfect for his new take on (exonerating) then Bathory legend. And she nearly was.
  11. Carice van Houten, Black Death, 2009.      After Lena Headey left the project, Janssen was in the frame until UK director Christopher Smith fell for the Dutch star of Black Book and Black Butterflies…!
  12. Morena Baccarin, V, TV, 2009-10.   She played a sexytransexual inTV’s Nip/Tuck but refused the sexy alien invader taking over the world…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  12