Before Robert Downey Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt were huge stars, they had to slug it out like a D-lister. Some of their early audition footage can be yours, but we’re not sure you’d want to own any of it.
UPDATE: Julien’s Auctions withdrew videos of celebrity audition tapes after SAG-AFTRA threatened legal action.
Honestly, who can say their life has been embarrassment-free? Nobody. But luckily for us mere mortals, no one has been around to capture our awkward moments – especially the dreaded job interview you may have bombed.
Unfortunately for Hollywood’s A-listers, their early flubs exist on film somewhere and now, thanks to three forward-thinking casting directors, you can purchase some of their cringe-inducing audition tapes.
Darren Julien and Martin Nolan of Julien’s Auctions told the Today show that the casting agents wanted to remain anonymous because they are very private people.
“It’s for the retirement fund,” Nolan told host Matt Lauer.
Up for grabs are tapes of Leonardo DiCaprio auditioning for the role of Ponyboy in a TV version of The Outsiders. And how about this for a slap in the face. Apparently Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves all tried out for the part that was ultimately played by Billy Baldwin in Backdraft. In case anyone wants to keep score, one of Baldwin’s most recent film roles was alongside Edward Furlong in the box-office juggernaut, Remnants.
I love Pitt, but his audition for the role of Brian McCaffrey was really awful.
There are also a slew of try-outs from 1993′s Jurassic Park available, including one from a very young looking Gwyneth Paltrow.
Julien estimates those tapes will fetch $2,000-$4,000.
Check out some of the clips below and let us know whose audition impressed you the least. If anything, it should make you feel a little better about the possibilities of what tomorrow might bring.
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