The Hollywood Reporter The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants almost had a different cast
(LR) Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively, America Ferrera, and Alexis Bledel in “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
It may be difficult to imagine The brotherhood of the traveling pants Without America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively and Amber Tamblyn, but some other stars are already close to getting roles in the hit film.
Producer Debra Martin Chase recalled what happened in the 2005 film during a recent interview on TV Hollywood gold Podcast.
She said Ferreira, who played Carmen, was “the first one we cast,” but noted that she was “still pretty much a novice” at the time.
Princess Diaries The producer also revealed that they were going to cast Mischa Barton as Lively’s Bridget, and Kristin Kreuk for Bledel’s character, Lena, but when production was delayed, the two actresses were busy filming again. okay And Smallvillerespectively.
“So we started over. We saw everyone,” Chase said. “I mean, Kaley Cuoco, Alexa (PenaVega). …Olivia Wilde was on the short list.
She continued the casting process: “America remained, we brought it with us.” At that point, Amber Tamblyn (who played Tibby) was on Joan of ArcadiaSo it was a big problem. We wanted TRUE Actors. They had to play the roles. They had to embody the roles, and embody them authentically. We went to Alexis early for Lena but she passed away. And she still does Gilmore Girls. “She was tired and died, and then we continued searching.”
Chase admitted that finding the right actress for Bridget seemed to be the toughest challenge because they needed someone who had “innocence” for them while also having the “skills” needed to take on the role. She described the character as “gorgeous but in a pure way”. You have to believe she was a virgin, and wasn’t preoccupied with her appearance. She had to be able to act. …And that role had a lot of depth.
They continued their searches but had no luck until Lively came to test. the Cheetah girls The producers thought they had found the perfect person for the role, but when they realized Lively had never worked before, they were hesitant to hire her.
“She gave us her headshot and it was completely blank,” Chase said of Lively. “She’s never worked, she’s never taken a salary. You know, she’s from an acting family.”
They decided to bring in “Olivia Wilde, Missy Peregrym, and Blake for the final audition.” Cinderella That’s when they finally realized “it was Blake’s role,” the producer recalls. She also noted that Lively’s real father, Ernie Lively (who died in 2021), played her on-screen father in The brotherhood of the traveling pantsas well as its 2008 sequel.
As for Lena’s role, Chase said that “they went back to Alexis, and she agreed to come in and read, and she was Lena. And she said yes.”
Elsewhere in her podcast appearance, Chase noted that she would “love” to make a third segment The brotherhood of the traveling pants With the original cast.
“I’m currently doing sequels to some of my other classic films,” she said. “I think, you know, time has passed and the audience still wants it so badly. So maybe.”
