Olivia Wilde, Mischa Barton, Kaley Cuoco.Photo:Michael Tran/AFP via Getty; Franziska Krug/Getty; Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty
Michael Tran/AFP via Getty; Franziska Krug/Getty; Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty
The iconicSisterhood of the Traveling Pantscastalmost looked a lot different.
On a new episode of theHollywood Goldpodcast, producer Debra Martin Chase shared secrets about the making of the 2005 young adult film and its 2008 sequel. The movies' cast ultimately includedAmerica Ferrera,Alexis Bledel,Blake LivelyandAmber Tamblyn, but other stars came close to landing roles.
Producer Chase, also behind theCheetah GirlsandPrincess Diariesfilms, said Ferrera was “the first one we cast.” Thefuture Emmy winner and Oscar nomineeplayed Carmen inTraveling Pants, and was “still very much a newbie” at the time.
Also, “we were gonna castMischa Bartonin the Blake Lively role” of Bridget, she revealed ofThe O.C.actress' near casting. Plus,Smallville’sKristin Kreukwas originally set for Bledel’s character Lena.
Blake Lively, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel in 2005.SGranitz/WireImage
SGranitz/WireImage
After production was delayed when the studio had to fast-track Hilary Duff’sA Cinderella Story, the team lost availability for some of the stars. “So we started all over. We saw everybody who was possibly … I mean,Kaley Cuoco, Alexa [PenaVega]. [Olivia Wilde] was in the shortlist.”
“America stayed, we brought her with us. At that point, Amber Tamblyn was onJoan of Arcadia, so she was a big deal. We wantedrealactors. They had to fulfill the roles. They had to embody the roles, authentically embody them. We went to Alexis early on for Lena but she passed. She was still doingGilmore Girls. She was tired, and she passed, and then we kept looking.”
Finding the Bridget actress was most challenging, according to Chase. She explained that the star needed to have “innocence” and acting “skills.” The character is “gorgeous but in a pure way; you have to believe she was a virgin, she wasn’t caught up in her looks. And she had to be able to act. … That role had a lot of depth.”
“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (2005).Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
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“We brought in Olivia Wilde, Missy Peregrym and Blake for the final audition,” she recalled, adding, “It was Blake’s role.” Lively’sreal-life dad Ernie (who died in 2021) played her onscreen father in the films.
source: people.com
