Yahoo News 12 soap stars who auditioned for very different roles
It's so hard to picture your favourite characters in soap being portrayed by anyone else other than the actor in the role, but it's very nearly happened on many occasions. In fact, there are a large number of famous faces, many still currently on our screens, who almost ended up playing a different part in the same soap.
Here we list 12 actors whose careers could have gone in completely different directions had they landed the jobs they originally auditioned for. Prepare to be quite surprised...
1. Michelle Hardwick (Emmerdale)
If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again! This was certainly the case for Emmerdale's Michelle Hardwick, who was so keen to bag a role in her dream soap, that she auditioned for a whopping five different parts.
Back in the nineties, she tried out for Linda Glover, followed by auditions for Tina Dingle, Chloe Atkinson and Ali Spencer. Next, Chelle was in the running to play Kerry Wyatt, but the Emmerdale writers were so impressed they told her to skip the screen test as they'd created the character of vet Vanessa Woodfield just for her. Just goes to show perseverance pays off!
2. Emmett J Scanlan (Hollyoaks)
When it came to playing twisted bad boy Brendan Brady, no-one could have been as good as Emmett J Scanlan. Which makes it quite amusing to think the Irish actor had originally auditioned for 'Oaks to play man of the cloth (and John Paul's secret lover) Father Kieron – FYI, he didn't get it because the producers wanted him to ditch his accent.
Emmett also nearly played Des Townsend, who was Jacqui McQueen's boyfriend, meaning the star would have got up close and personal with his now real life missus, Claire Cooper.
3. Annie Jones (Neighbours)
If you're a fan of eighties Neighbours then you'll remember 'Plain Jane Superbrain' Harris, the bookish teen who turned into a babe when she removed her specs. Actress Annie Jones, who played the studious schoolgirl, spent two months ringing the Neighbours production office before they invited her to audition for the part of Charlene Mitchell.
Annie was pipped to the post by a certain Kylie Minogue, but just think if things hadn't gone that way, there might never have been Kylie. We should have been so unlucky!
4. Leslie Grantham (EastEnders)
Was there anyone more suited to a role than Leslie Grantham was to playing dastardly landlord Dirty Den Watts? He was one of the original 'Enders cast, but Den wasn't the part that Leslie originally went up for.
He actually first read for market trader and steady family man Pete Beale, but was offered the character of Den instead. And thank God he said yes. Leslie made Den one of the nation's favourites, and without him we may never have had those two immortal words: "'Ello, Princess".
5. Jake Roche (Emmerdale)
Shane Richie's son decided to follow his dad into Soapland and set his sights on a part in the Dales. After unsuccessfully auditioning for the roles of Aaron Dingle and then Adam Barton, Jake was determined to make it third time lucky.
He opted for a direct approach and went to the house of Emmerdale's big boss at the time, the late Gavin Blyth, and begged him to give him a chance while standing on his doorstep. Jake's plucky plea worked, and he was offered a three month stint as Isaac Nuttall, who was a teen love interest of Hannah Barton.
6. Leon Ockenden (Coronation Street)
The former Waterloo Road actor must have got himself rather acquainted with the Corrie casting department over the years. He first read for the role of Nick Tilsley, which ultimately ended up going to Ben Price, and also had auditions to play smooth chef Robert Preston and bin man Trevor (wonder if he felt rubbish when he didn't get the part? Soz, couldn't resist).
The actor finally struck lucky with the part of Michelle's stalker ex Will Chatterton, and definitely made his mark on the cobbles.
7. Roxanne Pallett (Emmerdale)
Roxanne was trying to make it as a pop star when she was spotted by an ITV casting director back in the mid noughties. She spent a month auditioning for a few different roles in Emmerdale, including the one of Reverend Ashley Thomas's niece Jasmine (that ended up going to Jenna Coleman), before the producers decided Roxanne was better suited to playing a feistier female.
It just so happened the part of sassy surgery receptionist Jo Stiles was being written at the time, and the rest – as they say – is history.
8. Lee Ryan (EastEnders)
Blue singer Lee has been the surprise hit casting of 2017, winning rave reviews for his role as cheeky cocktail shaker Woody Woodward, but the star could have been walking around Walford years ago. Lee recently revealed that he turned down a role in 'Enders when he was 16, because he'd just signed for Blue.
After achieving huge chart topping success with the lads, Lee returned to the casting room and screen tested for the recast of Martin Fowler (which went to James Bye). The part wasn't right, but casting director Julia Crampsie invited him to try out for Woody, who ended up being a perfect fit.
9. Betty Driver (Coronation Street)
Back in the sixties, actress Betty Driver had turned her back on acting to run a hotel in Cheshire, and it was there she had a chance meeting with Corrie producer Harry Kershaw. He persuaded Betty to return to audition for the part of Hilda Ogden, which came to nothing.
A couple of years later, Harry asked Betty how she would feel pulling pints behind the bar of The Rovers, and she landed the role of legendary barmaid Betty Turpin, queen of the hotpots. Betty reigned on the cobbles for 42 wonderful years, and starred in over 2,800 episodes. The true definition of a soap icon.
10. Gillian Taylforth (EastEnders)
When Julia Smith and Tony Holland were casting their original 23 cast members, they auditioned Gillian for the part of tough Londoner Sue Osman. The pair decided that Gillian and her natural blonde locks weren't suited to the part, which they had envisaged belonging to a brunette, and hired Sandy Ratcliff instead.
But Gilly had clearly made a lasting impression on Julia and Tony, and they offered her the role of Kathy Beale, despite being concerned she looked far too young to be Ian's mum. A good decision well made, we reckon.
11. Chris Harper (Coronation Street)
Talented Chris did a chillingly convincing job of portraying Bethany's perverted predator Nathan Curtis, and it seems as if he was always destined to play a soap baddie.
The actor jokingly revealed that he originally read for the role of Mary's long lost son Jude, but that the Corrie producers had decided he was far better suited to a playing a darker part due an evil glint in his eye! We'd take it as a compliment if we were you, Chris.
12. Lacey Turner (EastEnders)
Lacey is Stacey, and Stacey is Lacey, well not really, but you know what we mean. We couldn't imagine another actress playing the part of Walford's fiery mumma, but it could have happened.
As a schoolgirl, Lacey tried out for the short-lived part of Darren Miller's twin sister Demi, but lost out to Shana Swash. However, the casting directors were so bowled over by the young actor's raw talent that they created the part of Stacey Slater specifically for Lacey, a role which she's made completely her own and scooped countless awards for.
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