Being a working actor in Hollywood usually requires a lot of running around and auditioning; and Brie Larson (Room, Captain Marvel) has used her new Youtube channel to explore the trials and tribulations of securing a role for a big budget Hollywood movie – not to mention all of the rejection that goes on behind the scenes.
Recently Brie revealed that she had struggled with a flat tire on the day of her “Terminator Reboot” audition; obviously we knew, from following the 5th production closely, that Brie tried out for the role of Sarah Connor in 2015’s Terminator Genisys.
Ms. Larson has now gone into the specifics of why she didn’t get the role, and, surprisingly, the reasoning is rather ridiculous… especially when the casting on the movie left a lot to be desired.
“So quickly, “Terminator”. I tested for it. While I was pulling into the audition for it, I got a flat tire, I did my audition. A couple of days later I found out that I didn’t get it, and I got no feedback whatsoever other than just ‘no’ it wasn’t gonna happen, and I was always like “What? Why didn’t I get that?” Like, I felt like I did a really good job, I didn’t understand, and then, like months later, my manager called, and was like: “Listen. We got the feedback finally, and what it was, was they said that you- they didn’t think,” um, “that you knew how to carry a gun”, and I was like *sighs* “Ohhh… okay, that would make sense if I carried a gun in the audition…”
Brie Larson
So, as Brie stated, the big reason she lost out on the role wasn’t due to her acting ability, or setback due to nerves or anything like that but it was due to the fact that the casting team didn’t think she was capable of holding a gun… without even asking her to actually hold a gun in the audition.
“I’d never held a gun. I mean, I’m grateful, ’cause I don’t wanna hold a gun in a movie but um, I just thought it was funny that, in their head, they thought I couldn’t hold the gun, so I didn’t get the job,”
Brie Larson
In all honesty? It just sounds like an easy out for the production; a good number of capable actresses tried out for the role but the studios (Skydance Media / Paramount Pictures) didn’t really hide the fact that they had their eye on Emilia Clarke from the offset – something they mentioned more than once…
Terminator Genisys Producer, David Ellison, told Den of Geek back in 2015 that:
“As for Emilia Clarke, I’ve loved Game Of Thrones. It redefines what is possible in television, and Emilia has a sense of strength and nobility that you simply can’t teach. When it came to talking about who our Sarah Connor would be, there was only one name that was ever discussed, and she’s an amazing, completely different and new version of the character who we love.”
David Ellison
There’s nothing wrong with studios / directors / writers etc. having a vision for who will embody the lead roles in their movies, it’s something which happens all the time in Hollywood – the issue here is the mixed messaging and the way that actors were potentially rejected from a role due to a predetermined outcome / favoritism.
What do you think of the reason Brie Larson lost the role of Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys?
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