20 Celebs Who Were Turned Down for Roles Because They Were “Too Ugly” & 20 That Were Turned Down for Being “Too Pretty”

We’re kicking off our list with one of the most celebrated actresses of all time. While she’s now an award-winning star, Meryl Streep wasn’t always considered the cream of the crop. In fact, when she showed up to audition for the 1976 adventure movie King Kong, she was rudely rejected.

When Meryl arrived to audition, an Italian producer referred to her as “ugly” in his own language. Little did he know, Meryl speaks Italian and understood him perfectly. Awkward!

Perhaps unsurprisingly, American actress and model Emily Ratajkowski is a celebrity that was turned down for being too attractive. Indeed, it’s hard to deny that the star is extremely good-looking. The former catwalk model has said that some directors don’t want to cast her because her chest is too large.

Emily Ratajkowski has said that she’s often pigeonholed as an attractive woman, and filmmakers can’t imagine her in other roles. She has shrewdly referred to this as “an anti-woman thing.”

There are several celebs on this list who we certainly wouldn’t think of as ugly, plain, or unattractive. One of those is Reese Witherspoon. However, the American actress has revealed that she was consistently told that she wasn’t pretty enough to play a leading role.

As well as not being seen as pretty enough, Reese was repeatedly told that she was too short. Alas, she now has an Academy Award, a BAFTA, two Golden Globes, and an Emmy that would beg to differ.

There have been several times that South African actress Charlize Theron almost missed out on roles because of her beauty. When she played serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, she had to undergo a major transformation.

Likewise, when she auditioned for horror movie The Devil’s Advocate, the director told her she was too beautiful for the part. In response, Charlize stopped wearing makeup, didn’t brush her hair, and woke up early in the morning in order to look less striking. Thankfully, it worked!

Bizarrely, the gorgeous Jessica Chastain spent years being told she wasn’t pretty enough to be a movie star. She has revealed, “Only in the past five years have people been telling me I’m attractive. Before then, I wasn’t getting parts because people kept telling me I wasn’t pretty enough.”

Ridiculously, casting directors kept telling the striking redhead to dye her hair blonde in order to get parts. Do these people have no imagination? Of course, she’s since snagged an Oscar.

Crime drama series The Fall follows Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson as she hunts down a serial killer in Northern Ireland. Gillian Anderson, who plays Stella, has revealed that Jamie Dornan almost missed out on playing criminal Paul Spector due to his good looks.

She said, “The initial intention was not to hire somebody who was that attractive.” Indeed, after filming two seasons of the drama, the Northern Irish star becomes globally famous for playing the irresistible Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey.

It’s frankly ridiculous to think that Winona Ryder was ever told that she wouldn’t make it as an actress. However, the star has said that a casting director in the ’80s told her exactly that.

Apparently, they cut her off mid-sentence to say, “You should not be an actress. You are not pretty enough. You should go back to wherever you came from and you should go to school. You don’t have it.” Of course, she’s became a fashion and acting icon despite this advice.

There are several celebs on this list who feel that their conventional attractiveness has limited the roles they are offered. We’ve already seen that actress Emily Ratajkowski was considered to be a very attractive woman, and therefore couldn’t play anything else.

Actor Jon Hamm has shared these frustrations. Despite wanting to appear in comedic roles, he felt he was largely seen as a stoic leading man. He has said, “I bring more to the table than what I represent physically.”

It’s sad that Hollywood is so fixated on appearances that they crush many people’s hopes at a young age. When actress Lea Michele was still trying to make it, she was told that she needed to have cosmetic surgery. Even worse, she received this advice from her own agent!

Like many other stars, Lea was told that she needed a nose job in order to land parts. Similarly, Lady Gaga was told that she would never be a star without undergoing rhinoplasty.

Teen drama My So-Called Life first aired in 1994, and went on to become a cult classic. The lead character was played by a then-unknown Clare Danes, but the role almost went to someone else. Alicia Silverstone auditioned for the part but one of the show’s co-creators thought she was far too attractive to play Angela Chase.

Marshall Horowitz said, “People would have been telling her she was beautiful since she was six years old. You can’t put that face in what’s been written for this girl.”

When Sherlock showrunner Steven Moffat first presented Benedict Cumberbatch to BBC executives, they weren’t happy. They claimed that they had been promised a super-hot leading man, and weren’t impressed with the English actor’s less conventional attractiveness.

Thankfully, the showrunners kept Benedict Cumberbatch as their leading man. Clearly, they made the right decision as he won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries in 2014. The star also has a dedicated fanbase who would certainly disagree with the idea that he’s not handsome enough.

While many Hollywood hotties are tall, slim, and blonde, Christina Hendricks bucks the trend. With her red hair, fair skin, and curvaceous figure, the actress has stunned audiences in a variety of roles. However, her good looks have also held her back.

The American actress and former model has said that she’s had very strong auditions and has been surprised not to land the part. On one occasion, she was told that she didn’t get the part of a doctor because doctors simply don’t look like her.

English actor Rowan Atkinson is known for various comedic characters. He charmed British audiences as the irritable Blackadder in the ’80s sitcom of the same name. Then, he charmed millions of children as the childish Mr. Bean in a number of TV shows and movies.

The actor initially studied to be an electrical engineer, but eventually made his way into the comedy arena. According to some sources, the star was told by various directors and producers that he wasn’t attractive enough for leading man roles.

Up next is another handsome actor who has been frustrated by being typecast. Rob Lowe was a true ’80s heartthrob and member of the Brat Pack. Annoyingly for him, this meant that he was only offered certain types of roles based on his appearance.

The star has said, “There’s this unbelievable bias and prejudice against quote-unquote good-looking people, that they can’t be in pain or they can’t have rough lives or be deep or interesting.” Thankfully, as Chris Traeger, he proved them wrong.

British actress Emma Thompson has been very outspoken about Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards. The star has proudly claimed she will never have cosmetic surgery. In fact, she sees our obsession with plastic surgery as a collective illness.

During her career, Emma was repeatedly told by male executives that she wasn’t “pretty enough.” She has said she has “never conformed to the shape or look of someone they might want to see naked.” Oh well, at least she has two Oscars!

There’s no doubt that superstar singer Beyoncé Knowles is an attractive woman. However, this almost prevented her from being cast in 2006 musical drama Dreamgirls. The movie’s director Bill Condon has revealed that the singer contacted them for the role, rather than the other way around.

He explained, “I loved her but…I wondered whether she could adapt to something that was so different […] She is so powerful and contemporary, and this was about something very different. It was about withholding.”

When actress and comedian Amy Schumer appeared in her breakthrough movie Trainwreck, she had lost a lot of weight. The star has said, “I’m what Hollywood calls, very fat. Somebody, like, explained to me, ‘Just so you know, Amy, no pressure, but if you weigh over 140lbs, it will hurt people’s eyes.’”

After dropping the weight for Trainwreck, Amy decided to purposely put it back on. She has said that she’s offered limited roles because she doesn’t adhere to Hollywood’s classic idea of beauty.

Actress Jessica Biel is so beautiful that she’s topped lists of other beautiful women. This might sound like a good thing, but it actually ended up hurting her career. She explained that directors told her they were looking for “the girl next door,” rather than a stunning movie star.

Jessica has implied that she wanted a part in The Other Boleyn Girl, though Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson were cast instead. We reckon they’re pretty beautiful too, but who knows what Hollywood is thinking!

We’ve already learned that BBC executives weren’t thrilled with Steven Moffat’s decision to cast Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock. Well, the producer has also revealed that the broadcasters felt the same way about Scottish actor David Tenant in 2005 comedy-drama Casanova.

The series follows the adventures of 18th-century womanizer Giacomo Casanova from two perspectives. However, David Tenant proved them wrong. He played the part so well that he later landed the role of the 10th Doctor Who. Thank goodness for that!

Did you know that American actress Halle Berry was a pageant girl? The gorgeous actress was the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant. Because of this background, many directors and casting directors didn’t want to hire her.

When Halle auditioned for Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, he wanted her to play his wife. Instead, she begged to read for the role of Vivian. Some years after this debut role, she became the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Go, Halle!

One of the most ridiculous entries on this list is Ryan Gosling. You might think that the Hollywood hunk was told he was too attractive for a part. However, you’d be wrong. Yup, the leading man was actually turned down for a role because he was too unattractive. Yes, you read that right.

In order to play Jack Salmon in The Lovely Bones, Gosling gained 210lbs. Director Peter Jackson was not a fan, so he fired him and replaced him with Mark Wahlberg instead.

We’ve already mentioned Scarlett Johansson’s beauty on this list, and it has cost her some top roles. The blonde bombshell auditioned to play computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. However, director David Fincher found her distractingly attractive and gave the part to Rooney Mara instead.

Annoyingly, Fincher said that Scarlett gave a “great audition.” It seems that his personal attraction to ScarJo probably cost her this part. Perhaps this is why there should be more female directors in Hollywood. Just saying.

Are you ready for another outrageous entry? Well, actress Jessica Alba was instructed to “be prettier” while playing the Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Even worse, the star was told to “cry pretty” during a particularly heartfelt scene. Haven’t we all tried to “cry pretty?” Nope, we haven’t.

It’s unfortunate that beautiful actresses are judged solely by their beauty. Jessica Alba had a horrible time filming this movie, and actually considered quitting acting altogether because of how she was treated.

According to English actor Hugh Grant, director Richard Curtis did “everything in his power” to prevent him from being cast in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The English director claimed, “The absolutely key thing for that film when I was writing it was that the person who was playing the lead would not be good-looking. That was the absolute starting thesis of the film.” Clearly, Richard Curtis didn’t get his way. The film was a hit, and the pair went on to work together numerous times.

Canadian-American movie star Michael J. Fox has his breakthrough in sitcom Family Ties. However, NBC’s then-president Brandon Tartikoff nearly had him kicked off the show before it even aired. The executive watched the pilot and felt that the actor wasn’t tall enough.

He even asked showrunner Gary David Goldberg, “Is he the kind of face that’s going to be on a lunch box?” Amusingly, Michael J. Fox later had a lunch box made with his face on it and placed it on Brandon’s desk.

In Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre, tortured soul Mr. Rochester is described as being rather unappealing. He has “broad, black eyebrows,” a “square forehead,” and is said to be “more remarkable for character than beauty.”

For that reason, some eyebrows were raised when the strapping Michael Fassbender was cast in the role. In the 2011 movie adaptation, Mia Wasikowska’s Jane plainly states that Mr. Rochester isn’t handsome. It’s safe to say that lots of people would disagree.

According to Minnie Driver, the rudest thing ever said to her in Hollywood was by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. While casting for Good Will Hunting, Weinstein argued that the British-American singer and actress wasn’t “hot enough” to play Skylar in the 1997 drama.

Thankfully, director Gus Van Sant, and writers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon argued her case. In the end, she was nominated for an Oscar for her work on the acclaimed movie. As for Harvey Weinstein, well… we all know where he is.

Clearly, there’s a bit of a problem when it comes to casting for costume dramas. Much like Michael Fassbender in Jane Eyre, Keira Knightley was considered too attractive to star in Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen’s book describes lead character Elizabeth Bennet as “light and pleasing” but says “her figure lacks perfect symmetry.”

Lizzie Bennet is supposed to be more witty and intelligent than beautiful, which means Keira nearly missed out. Director of the 2005 adaptation Joe Wright actually banned the actress from pouting while filming.

With Kate Winslet, we have another example of an incredible talent who was almost stopped by an authority figure. In the British actress’s case, it was her drama teacher that planted seeds that her physical appearance might hold her back.

Kate was told that she might have a chance at breaking into the business, but only as long as she would play “fat girl parts.” Of course, she went on to become the leading lady in Titanic, the highest-grossing film in the world at the time.

In the American version of comedy-drama Shameless, Emmy Rossum plays eldest daughter Fiona Gallagher. However, the producers initially refused to let her audition because of her good looks. She remembers, “They thought my image was too glamorous, that I couldn’t not be pretty.”

It was discovered in 2016 that American actress Emmy was being paid much less than her male co-star, William H. Macy. She requested a pay increase and back pay to make up for the significant difference.

Back in the mid-noughties, English-American actor Andrew Garfield was desperate to be cast as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia. He said, “I remember I was so desperate […] and I thought, ‘This could be it, this could be it.’ And that handsome, brilliant actor Ben Barnes ended up getting the role. I think it was down to me and him, and I remember I was obsessed.”

When he asked his agent what happened, Andrew Garfield was told, “It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew.”

When asked about the casting for the Harry Potter franchise, author J.K. Rowling has remarked that Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson “are all too good looking.” She noted that her original version of Hermione was a “gawky, geeky, ugly duckling” as opposed to the pretty young English actress who was cast.

At the time, the media also complained that young Emma was too pretty for the part. She says that this made her determined to prove that she wasn’t just a “pretty face.”

It’s pretty well known that director Michael Bay is chauvinistic (just ask Megan Fox), and here’s yet more evidence. When directing war drama Pearl Harbor, he said that English actress and model Kate Beckinsale wasn’t attractive enough to play Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson.

Wrap your heads around that one! Kate has said, “I didn’t make sense to him as an attractive woman. So, there was a lot of panic and concern over, ‘How on earth are we gonna make her attractive?”

Amusingly, Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado was dubbed “hot Jesus” when he was cast to play the religious figure in 2014 epic Son of God. The actor also played Jesus in miniseries The Bible, despite claims that he was too handsome for the role.

In response, producer Mark Burnett said, “Whatever attracts the biggest, youngest audience.” While the movie and series weren’t very well-received, audiences were certainly enamored with Diogo Morgado. At the end of the day, what’s so wrong with a hot Jesus?

There have been some absurd revelations in this article, and now it’s time for another. Writer and actress Mindy Kaling has been rejected on multiple occasions to play herself. At the start of her career, she had to audition to play herself in a sketch show, but was turned down for not being pretty enough.

Later, when she created sitcom The Mindy Project, she was told by executives that she was too chubby and unattractive to play the lead character — Mindy.

We’ve briefly mentioned her already, and it would be ridiculous not to include her on this list. Actress Megan Fox is often discussed in terms of her beauty rather than her acting talents. Understandably, this makes her rather angry.

The actress has said, “Hollywood is the most superficial thing you could possibly be a part of. And if I weren’t attractive I wouldn’t be working at all.” It seems that it’s a bit of a trap to be a working actor — you’re either too beautiful, or too ugly.

Imagine saying that a man is unattractive and he then goes on to become Superman. Well – no need to imagine! British actor Henry Cavill once auditioned to play James Bond, and was told he wasn’t lean enough for the role.

Even worse, the director told the star that he wasn’t taking the audition seriously. Alas, Henry Cavill didn’t need to be lean to play DC superhero Superman in a range of hit movies. He has also played Sherlock Holmes and starred in various hit spy movies.

There have been several controversies about Jennifer Lawrence’s appearance when it comes to her movie roles. When she was cast as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, fans felt that she didn’t match the character description in the book.

Earlier in her career, J-Law was turned down for Winter’s Bones for being “too pretty.” In response, she auditioned again without showering, wearing makeup, or having enough sleep. She later joked that the producers eventually said, “Oh, she’s right. She’s not cute!”

We’ve mentioned Winona Ryder already, and her Stranger Things co-star David Harbour has had a similar experience. The American actor starred in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain but was told by director Ang Lee to look more handsome during a take.

Before that, David Harbour struggled to find roles that matched his imposing body type. He auditioned for Blob in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and was told he was too fat. However, he made it as a superhero by playing Red Guardian in the MCU’s Black Widow.

We close our list with another celebrity that was deemed too conventionally attractive for a role. Actress Alison Brie almost missed out on playing Ruth “Zoya the Destroya” Wilder in GLOW because of her former roles.

The star played prim housewife Trudy on costume drama Mad Men, and the adorable Annie on sitcom Community. Alison Brie said that the GLOW creators “didn’t think I was right for the role.” For her auditions, she wore workout clothes, no makeup, and tied her hair back.