'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' Almost Had a Different Cast | THR News Video
'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' cast almost looked a little different! It may be difficult to imagine the film without America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively and Amber Tamblyn, but there were other stars who came close to landing the roles of Carmen, Lena, Bridget and Tibby in the hit film.
Transcript
00:00 The sisterhood of the Traveling Pans cast almost looked a little different.
00:03 It may be difficult to imagine the film without America Ferreira, Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively,
00:09 and Amber Tamblyn, but there were other stars that actually came close to landing the roles of
00:14 Carmen, Lena, Bridget, and Tibby in the hit film. During a recent interview on the Hollywood Gold
00:19 podcast, veteran producer Debra Martin-Chase recalled what went into casting the 2005 film.
00:25 She said Ferreira, who played Carmen, was the first one cast and noted she was still very much
00:30 a newbie at the time. The Princess Diaries producer also revealed that they were going
00:34 to cast the O.C.'s Mischa Barton in Lively's role of Bridget and have Smallville's Kristen Crook
00:39 play Bledel's character Lena, but when production got delayed, both actresses were busy filming
00:44 their respective shows. Chase said, "They went to Alexis early on for Lena, but she initially
00:49 passed. She was still doing Gilmore Girls. She was tired and she passed. And then we kept looking."
00:54 The producer noted they went to everyone from Kaley Cuoco, Alexa Vega, and Olivia Wilde.
00:59 At that point, Amber Tamblyn, who played Tibby, was on Joan of Arcadia, so she was a big deal.
01:04 "We wanted real actors. They had to fulfill the roles. They had to embody the roles."
01:08 Chase said finding the right actress for Bridget seemed to be the most difficult,
01:12 because they needed someone who had the innocence and the athletic skills,
01:15 with no luck until Lively came in for an audition. The Cheetah Girls producer thought
01:20 Lively was perfect, but not enough experience. "She handed us her headshot and it was completely
01:25 blank. She had never worked. She had never gotten a paycheck. You know, she's from an acting family.
01:30 But despite that, the role was still hers." Elsewhere on her podcast appearance,
01:34 Chase noted that she would love to make a third Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with
01:37 the original cast. "I think, you know, time has gone by and the audiences still very much want it.
01:42 So maybe." For more on this story, head to THR.com. And for the latest entertainment news
01:48 and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
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