- Nick Stahl, The Thin Red Line, 1998. After a March 1995 reading of auteur Terrence Malik’s first script for 17 years (with Kevin Costner, Lukas Haas, Martin Sheen, etc ), producer Mike Medavoy agreed to a second reading in June at his home – this time with less established (ie, cheaper) actors like Galecki, Johnny Depp, Jeremy Jordon, Will Patton. (Hearing about the read, Brad Pitt dropped by).
- Ryan Phillippe, Flags Of Our Fathers, 2006. A dozen years after his Malik experience, Galecki was seen (by director Clint Eastwood) for another major film about the war against Japan. The following year, the Belgian-born actor (Dad was in the USAF) hit stardom in Chuck Lorre’s…
- Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, TV, 2006-2019. Producer and co-creator Chuck Lorre asked Johnny to be Sheldon – but he prefered Leonard, among four CalTech physicists more into science (fact and fiction) than girls. And it lasted a dozen years, making Parsons the world’s highest-paid TV actor… to the tune of $29m.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 2