- Renée Humprey, Mallrats, 1995. Renée reprised Tricia in a later movie by New Jersey’s askew auteur Kevin Smith: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, 2001.
- Claire Danes, Romeo + Juliet, 1996. Although born in the same year as Claire, 1979, JLH was not old or “modern enough” for Baz Luhrman. Sarah Michelle Gellar also lost and both triples later co-starred in…
- Sarah Michel Gellar, I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1997. JLH auditioned for Helen – and was given Julie. V ice-versa for SMG.
- Dominique Swain, Lolita, 1997. “I would just love once to be called sexy,” said JLH. “Just because it would make me something other than cute.” More than 2,500 girls tried to succeed 1961’s Sue Lyon… But UK director Adrian Lyne’s shortlist only had room for: Swain, JLH, Melissa Joan Hart, Natalie Portman (refused point blank) Christina Ricci and the unknown (then and now) Nadia Litz.
- Kate Beckinsale, Brokendown Palace, 1998. So Kate’s name went on the arrest warrant next to that of Claire Danes in this Midnight Express in Thailand. as two teenage girls are arrested for smuggling drugs; that is to say, merely, stupidly,having some in their baggage.
- Lena Headey, Gossip, 1999. Change of Cathy among the college students investigating gossip – from JLH and Maggie Gyllenhaal to Headey.
- Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde, 2000. JLH, Christina Applegate, Katherine Heigl, Milla Jovovich, Gwyneth Paltrow and Charlize Theron all tried to win Elle Woods in the far from official sequel to Clueless,1994. At one point, Elle said that she gew up in Bel Air, across the street from TV producer icon, Aaron Spelling – his daughter, Tori, was also up for Elle.
- Angelina Jolie, Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, 2000. For the girls, Lara Croft is their James Bond. Well, more of a sexy Indiana Jones. And 22 hopefuls wanted to bringther sassy, video-game adventurer to life. Demi More was, perhaps, the most keen, but who was simply disregarded. Christina Applegate, Drew Barrymore, Victoria Beckham, Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, Nicole Eggert, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kate Hudson, Elizabeth Hurley, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lopez, Gwneth Paltrow, Anna Nicole Smith (a joke, surely), Catherine Zeta-Jones were considered. Fairuza Balk, Natalie Cassidy, Kirsten Dunst and Milla Jovovich auditioned while Denise Richards, Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman and Liv Tyler simply refused. And Lara’s guy (who fled the sequel) was Daniel Craig – complete with a Walther PPK pistol that he would use again as 007 in Casino Royale, 2005.
- Rose McGowan, Charmed, TV, 2001-2006. After auditions by the many, exec producer Aaron Spelling decided that Shannen Doherty’s replacement would be Rose as Phoebe, Piper and Pru’s half-sister (long lost, of course) Paige. And not the Party of Five, 1990-95 star.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scooby Doo, 2001. JHL was offered Daphne on February 10, 2000. However, director Raja Gosnell wanted a real couple as Daphne and Fred – like SMG and Freddie Prinze Jr. She had to talk him into it.
- Denise Richards, Valentine, 2001. When the then-Love Hurts project was being developed by producer Dylan Sellers, the lead ladies were JLH and Tara Reid as Paige and Dorothy. Warner Bros changed all of that!
- Jennifer Lopez, The Wedding Planner, 2001. One Jennifer for another. The first plan was JHL as the titular planner falling for Brendan Fraser as the groom – before he became, Matthew McConaughey.
- Naomi Watts, The Ring, 2001. Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Connelly, and Gwyneth Paltrow – good screamers all – were also seen for Rachel (ex- Reiko), heroine of the Hollywood re-make of Hideo Nakata’s gigantic Japanese 1998 horror hit.
- Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries, 2001. Among 22 youngstars (Jessica Alba to Reese Witherspoon) rejecting the awkward San Francisco teenager being groomed (by Julie Andrews!) to inherit the Genovia throne – after director Garry Marshall’s (rather surprising) first choice of Juliette Lewis quit. This was Hathaway’s movie debut.
- Piper Perabo, The I Inside, 2003. JLH would have been wed to amnesiac Stephen Dorff until the cast changed and Piper had the struggle with Ryan Phillippe as the man who died for two minutes… and awakes with no memory of the past two years…
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Nicole Kidman, Bewitched, 2004.
For inexplicable reasons, Hollywood kept trying to make a movie out of the 1968-1972 ABC sitcom about a good-looking witch and a Dagwood husband. In 1993, Penny Marshall was going to direct Meryl Streep as Samantha, then passed the reins to Ted Bissell and he died in 1996 when his Richard Curtis script was planned as Melanie Griffths’ comeback. Nora Ephron co-wrote and directed this lumbering version about an ego-driven actor trying to save his career with a Bewitcherd re-hash, but with the emphasis on him (of course) as Darrin, rather than the unknown he chose for Samatha because she can wiggle her nose… (You didn’t need a nose to know it stank). Over the years, 37 other ladies were on the Samantha wish-list. Take a deep breath… Kate Beckinsale, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Connelly, Cameron Diaz, Heather Graham, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Julianne Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, Brooke Shields, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, Renee Zellweger. Plus seven Oscar-winners: Kim Basinger, Tatum O’Neal, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon… twoFriends: Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow…eleven other TV stars: Christina Applegate, Patricia Arquette, Kristin Davis, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Helen Hunt, Jenny McCarthy, Alyssa Milano, Brittany Murphy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alicia Silverstone… even Drew Barrymore and Uma Thurman, who had already re-kindled Charlie’s Angels and The Avengers. - Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns, 2005.
- Jodie Foster, Inside Man, 2005. Had to reject Spike Lee’s offer due to her Ghost Whisperer TV schedule. As Chicago critic Roger Ebert suggested, she didn’t miss much. “Who or what is Madeleine White? I’ve seen the movie, and I don’t know. She is never convincingly explained, and what she does is not well-defined. She’s one of those characters who is all buildup and no delivery” in a thriller “that’s curiously reluctant to get to the payoff.”
- Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother, TV, 2005-2014. Putting the record straight, creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas revealed JLH preferred the Ghost Whisperer movie to playing Robin Scherbatsky, no less.
- Katharine Heigl, Knocked Up, 2006.
- Cameron Richardson, Alvin and the Chipmunks, 2006. Seven guys were up for Dave (Allvviinn!!), just four babes for his, er, babe. JLH, Drew Barrymore, Sarah Michele Gellar and Salma Hayek. But for once, the outsider won: the lively lovely from Baton Rouge became Claire Wilson.
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Amy Poehler, Horton Hears A Who, 2007. Change of Sally O’Malley’s voice as Amy took over JLH’s leavings in the fourth toon from Blue Sky Studios, home of the Ice Age franchise. Jim Carrey voiced the elephant, his first toon gig. “A 15-minute picture locked in an 85-minute narrative,”complained The Guardian critic Philip French.
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Jessica Alba, Good Luck Chuck, 2007. Her TV glory prevented her sharing ex-stand-up Dane Cook’s latest comedy trifle.
- Agnes Bruckner, Blood and Chocolate, 2007. JHL was first choice for Vivian – a teenage werewolf. Now is that a compliment?
- Anne Hathaway, Get Smart, 2008. Future Oscar-winner Hathaway was surprisingly good as Agent 99, the unforgettable creation of delicious Barbara Feldon in the 1965-1970 series. Director Peter Segal also gazed at JLH, Jessica Alba, Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk and Rachel McAdams.
- Kelli Giddish, Law Order: SVU, TV, 2011-2012. With Christopher Meloni quitting and multi-Emmy award-winning Mariska Hargitay reducing her schedule, new blood was required for the 13th season of Dick Wolf’s cop-art. An obvious fan of Ghost Whisperer, 2005-10, creator-producer Wolf first thought of JHL (a 2010 SVU guest) – and her co-star David Conrad… before signing the highlight of the short-lived Chase series and ex-Cold Case cop Danny Pino. Meloni returned to the Wolf fold in the 202l spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 26