Over the last few decades, a slew of content has been released that tells stories about teen-aged characters. For example, there are a lot of teen movies on Netflix, some of which are great and some of which are bad. On top of that, a lot of great teen drama TV shows have developed huge fan followings that care deeply about those series’ characters and storylines.
Even though there have been so many teen movies and shows produced over the last couple of decades, some of that content has been able to pass the test of time. For example, the teen drama My So-Called Life continues to hold a place in the hearts of its devoted fans. While that feat would be impressive for any show, the fact that My So-Called Life only aired nineteen episodes from 1994 until 1995 makes its hallowed place in history truly incredible. As a result of how beloved My So-Called Life is, the show’s cast seems to be overjoyed to be linked with it. As it turns out, however, Jared Leto almost missed out on taking pride in his role in the show since he nearly didn’t star in My So-Called Life at all.
Why Jared Leto Almost Didn’t Star In My So-Called Life
After Jared Leto starred in movies like Prefontaine, Fight Club, American Psycho, and Requiem for a Dream early in his acting career, it became clear that he was a big star in the making. Despite that, Leto made the shocking decision to form his band Thirty Seconds to Mars when his career was really taking off and he began focusing on his music. While he still took roles occasionally when he wasn’t touring with his band, Leto mostly walked away from acting at that time and he might again in the future. Given the fact that most actors would do just about anything to have the opportunities that Leto has enjoyed, it is clear that Jared has different priorities than his peers.
Years before Jared Leto proved that he was willing to walk away at the height of his career, he made My So-Called Life’s producers very nervous. The reason for the producers’ nerves is that they had big plans for Leto due to his presence and acting skills. According to what My So-Called Life Creator Winnie Holzman told Vice in 1994, Leto’s famous character from the show was originally only going to appear in one episode before Leto auditioned for the role.
“At first, Jordan Catalano was just going to be in the pilot. But as soon as we got Jared on film, we knew he had to be a continuing character.” Unfortunately for Winnie Holzman, she then went on to tell Vice that she wasn’t sure Jared Leto would go on to take his My So-Called Life role once it became a recurring character. “I remember not being positive that he wanted to do it. I was a little worried that he didn’t want the part that much. He seemed to have ambivalent feelings.”
According to Mental Floss, Winnie Holzman’s worries about whether or not Jared Leto would agree to star in My So-Called Life at that time were well-founded. The reason for that is that Mental Floss writes that Leto was “very hesitant to take the role because he was less interested in acting at the time and was flirting with the idea of going to art school instead”. Fortunately for everyone involved in the show, Leto took the role eventually and My So-Called Life’s producers took full advantage of his skills by having him sing on the show.
Another Famous Actor Almost Played Claire Danes’ My So-Called Life Role
Given the fact that My So-Called Life is the show that launched Jared Leto in the public eye and he has been there ever since, it is amazing that he reportedly considered turning his role down. As it turns out, Leto isn’t the only one of My So-Called Life’s stars who came close to not being a part of the show’s legacy. Unlike Leto, however, there never was any tension about whether or not Claire Danes was willing to star in the show. Instead, the problem for Danes was that other actors were in the running to portray My So-Called Life’s Angela Chase.
In 2013, My So-Called Life’s co-executive producer Marshall Herskovitz spoke to The New Yorker for an article about Claire Danes’ incredible acting legacy. In the resulting article, it was revealed that before Claire Danes was hired to star in My So-Called Life, Alicia Silverstone auditioned for the same role. In fact, according to the article, My So-Called Life’s other co-executive producer Edward Zwick wanted to hire Silverstone for the role. However, Herskovitz made sure Silverstone missed out on the role for superficial reasons.
“Alicia is so beautiful that that would have affected her experience of the world. 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.” It should also be noted that before A. J. Langer was cast as Rayanne Graff, she too was considered for Claire Danes’ famous My So-Called Life role. Thankfully, Danes eventually was allowed to audition and the rest is history according to what casting director Linda Lowry said for the same New Yorker article. “From the minute she walked in the room, Claire was chilling, astounding, and silent. There was so much power coming out of her without her doing much.”
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