Pity the poor casting agents who have to sift through hours of audition tapes before going on to sit through days of actual auditions. You can't blame them for wanting to cut down the workload by, basically, using up the leftovers.
What follows are all those occasions where two people were so right for one role that the showrunners decided to put one of them into another part.
Thank goodness they did, because we can't imagine the following shows without these folks…
1. Iwan Rheon – Game of Thrones
In some bizarro universe Iwan Rheon is currently standing on the edge of a mountain wearing fur and brooding, instead of chopping bits from supporting characters and waggling sausages.
That's because the actor made it down to the last two for Jon Snow, a part that Kit Harington ultimately won (you know, just in case you've been locked up in a dungeon for the past seven years).
Rheon said he got the part of Ramsay because "I auditioned for the pilot of Game of Thrones, and was down to the last two for Jon Snow, so I guess they knew me."
We're a tiny bit disturbed the actor believes he got the Ramsay role because 'they knew me' but whatever.
As it turns out Kit Harington also auditioned for other roles on the show – you can watch those in the totally serious video above.
2. Hank Azaria – Friends
Okay, this one's a bit bonkers. Simpsons regular Hank Azaria had a recurring role on Friends as Phoebe's love interest David. You remember, the geeky science guy. Now, as perfectly cast as Azaria was in that role, he actually wanted another one – he auditioned not once, but TWICE for a different part, because he refused to take no for an answer.
The part? Super smooth ladies man Joey. So, yeaaaah, we're pretty sure the right actors found themselves in the right parts, mainly because we can't imagine anyone other than Matt LeBlanc as Mr Tribbiani.
3. Luke Pasqualino – Skins
Skins season three's central star was almost season one's – Freddie (aka Luke Pasqualino) auditioned for Tony (Nicholas Hoult), reading for the part at the tender age of sixteen.
"I don't think I was ready for [playing Tony] at 16 years old," said later. "I was just about ready for it at 18. I would have done terribly if I'd have got that job at 16."
Turns out these casting directors really do know what they're doing; forget the part, just being in Skins at the age of sixteen would probably be a fairly intense experience.
4. Sonequa Martin-Green – The Walking Dead
Star Trek: Discovery's Michael first came to fantasy fans' attention when she played Sasha on The Walking Dead, but it could have been very different.
That's right, Martin-Green could have been the utter badass Michonne, a role she almost certainly would have been great for. But, again, they made the right choice, because Danai Gurira is brilliant in the role.
…But also because it was relatively easy to write Sasha out when Martin-Green was cast on Discovery, which means we got one of the best scenes on the show out of her (which you can watch below).
5. Norman Reedus – The Walking Dead
Speaking of The Walking Dead… Fan favourite character Daryl Dixon wasn't part of the original plan for the show. In fact, if it wasn't for an unusual casting situation, the edgy crossbow wielder wouldn't exist at all.
When Reedus heard about The Walking Dead, he asked to audition for literally any part. He read Merle's lines (which had already been cast – AMC had already agreed terms with Michael Rooker) and waited.
Thankfully, the producers knew they had someone special on their hands and created Daryl specifically for Reedus, making television history in the process. All together now... If Daryl dies, we riot!
6. Rainn Wilson – The Office (USA)
Brilliantly, Rainn Wilson didn't wait around to see if someone would decide he was right for a different role. He cut out the middleman by auditioning for two at once!
Wilson went up for the lead role of Michael Scott AND his right-hand man Dwight Schrute, which could be the most Dwight Schrute move ever. He beat big names such as Seth Rogen to the role, but watch the audition tape above and tell us anyone else would be better as the nerdy know-it-all.
7. Jensen Ackles – Supernatural
Supernatural fans are extremely attached to the two stars of the show. Jared Padalecki's Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles' Dean Winchester have amassed an army of followers who have carried the show through an astonishing 13 seasons.
But would it have been the same if the stars switched roles? Jensen Ackles originally auditioned for Sam, but ended up preferring Dean – which was lucky, as that's who the producers felt he was right for.
Worried he wouldn't take the part as it wasn't the lead, they sold it to him as being the 'Han Solo' of the show. Millions of Supernatural addicts would probably agree.
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Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
