Bryan Bedder/Getty ; Cinematic via Alamy ; Randall Michelson/WireImage Mamma Mia!starred Meryl Steep, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper, among others The 2008 film attracted a number of Hollywood stars for auditions, including Emily Blunt and Amy Adams The movie musical hit Netflix on July 16 It's difficult to think of anyone other thanMeryl Streep,Amanda SeyfriedandDominic Cooperin the parts ofMamma Mia!'s Donna Sheridan, Sophie Sheridan and Sky Rymand — however, a number of actors wanted the roles. 2008'sMamma Mia!— which hit Netflix on July 16 — follows Sophie's (Seyfried) wedding to fiancé Sky (Cooper) at her mom Donna's (Streep) Greek hotel. However, unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie has invited three of her mother's former flames — Harry (Colin Firth), Bill (Stellan Skårsgard) and Sam (Pierce Brosnan) — to determine which one of them is her biological father. The film — which is based on the Broadway musical of the same name — spawned a 2018 sequel,Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. In August 2024,Christine Baranski, who played Tanya, revealed that athird movie is in the works. Streep, who was a fan of the Broadway musical, was a shoe-in for the part of Donna. "You don't ask Meryl Streep to audition," producer Judy Craymer toldVoguein a September 2023Mamma Mia!oral history. "Universal made a bit of a fuss because we didn't go over their list of ideas first, to which I said, 'Sorry, but there is no list—we gotMeryl f------ Streep!' " While many actresses auditioned for the role of Sophie, Seyfried ultimately captured the team's attention with her rendition ofABBA's "I Have a Dream," U.S. casting director Ellen Lewis toldVogue. Meanwhile, U.K. casting director Priscilla John "fought" for Cooper to play Sky. "The studio said they thought he wasn't fun enough," she toldVogue. "They saw him as a bad boy and seemed to want someone a bit more saccharine." So, who else was in the running to play the roles of Donna, Sophie and Sky? Here are 21 actors who nearly starred inMamma Mia!. Alamy STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Nicole Kidmanwas on the list of backups if Streep declined the role of Donna. "We were asked by Universal to prepare a list on the off chance that Meryl didn't wanna do it," director Phyllida Lloyd toldVogue. Don Arnold/WireImage Olivia Newton-John's previous musical experience withGreasealso made her a strong contender for Donna. "It was more likely that someone like Nicole Kidman or Olivia Newton-John might say yes, because they had a prior history of singing on-screen," Lloyd toldVogue. Vince Bucci/Getty While the team talked about auditioningMichelle Pfeifferfor the role of Sophie's mother, theGrease 2star never officially threw her hat in the ring, Lewis toldVogue. "I don't believe there were any actual conversations with her team," she said. "It never got further than an internal discussion between the filmmakers and the studio." Craymer added, "There were a lot of names on our list, but Meryl was the only person who [Lloyd] and I wanted." Alamy Dave Hogan/Getty The Devil Wears Pradastars Streep andEmily Bluntcould have had an on-screen reunion in Greece. John toldVoguethat Blunt was invited to audition, but turned it down. "Emily Blunt passed because she had moved to Los Angeles and was doing quite well at the time," she explained. Years later in 2018, theMary Poppins Returnsactress had the chance to sing some ABBA while appearing onJames Corden'sThe Late Late Show. Blunt belted out the band's "Dancing Queen" in a feather boa alongside Corden andLin-Manuel Mirandaas part of a 12-minute musical montage, perThe Hollywood Reporter. Dave M. Benett/Getty Downton AbbeystarMichelle Dockerywas a close second to Seyfried for casting directors. "We loved Michelle Dockery, and she could sing because she did all sorts of musicals in drama school," John toldVogue. Ultimately, Dockery took herself out of the running for Sophie. "She chose to do a play at the Almeida Theatre instead," John added. Andrew H. Walker/Getty Seyfried had some serious competition inCarey Mulligan, according to John, who had recently cast Mulligan in 2007'sAnd When Did You Last See Your Father?. "She got quite far before we ultimately chose Amanda, who could not only sing but also looked so much like Meryl," John toldVogue. Mulligan got her chance to play the part more than a decade later, when she was cast as Sophie in a 2019 spoof ofMamma Mia! Here We Go Againfor Red Nose Day. Jon Furniss/WireImage Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer's busy schedule prevented her from taking on the role of Sophie. "We adored ... Natalie Dormer," John toldVogue. "But she was filmingThe Tudorsat the time and not available." Dave M. Benett/Getty AlthoughMammia Mia!casting directors calledThe King's Manstar Gemma Arterton "a very strong soprano," she didn't quite fit the visual they were going for in Donna's daughter. "She looked nothing like Meryl," John toldVogue. In 2019, Arterton teamed up with Mulligan for her Red Nose Day Mamma Mia sequel spoof, playing young Donna instead. Vera Anderson/WireImage Amy Adams— who went on to star with Streep in 2008'sDoubtand 2009'sJulie & Julia—was among the list of Hollywood legends whom Lewis recalled seeing audition for Sophie in Los Angeles. "Thankfully, I didn't really know anything about those A-list girls at the time," music director Martin Lowe toldVogue. "I've subsequently looked back at my lists of people we saw and been shocked to discover some of the people that I apparently met." Dave Hogan/Getty She & Him singerZooey Deschanelwas one of the few musicians who tried out for the role of Sophie. "I don't remember that many actual singers auditioning," Lewis toldVogue. Zak Hussein/PA Images via Getty According to John,Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryalumFelicity Jonessold her vocal abilities short during her audition. "Felicity Jones was adorable but kept telling me she wasn't right for the part because she couldn't sing—even though she could," John toldVogue. Todd Williamson/WireImage Evan Rachel Wood, who's known for her singing roles in projects likeAcross the UniverseandFrozen 2, also tried out for the role of Sophie, Lewis revealed toVogue. TheWestworldactress later joined forces with Seyfried to workshop amusical adaptation ofThelma & Louise. The musical has been in the works since at least 2021, perVariety. Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Gossip GirlactressLeighton Meesteralso auditioned for the part of Sophie, Lewis toldVogue. Meester went on to show off her vocal talents in Cobra Starship's 2009 song "Good Girls Go Bad" and as Chiles Stanton in 2010'sCountry StrongoppositeGwyneth Paltrow. Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Mandy Moorehad a vote of confidence for herMamma Mia!audition from former costarChris Klein, who acted alongside her inAmerican Dreams. "You guys had Mandy Moore in here?" Klein asked in his own leakedaudition tape. "She is an angel of all angels ... she is just a dream come true. You should hire her on the spot." Jeff Vespa/WireImage Kirsten Dunstwas yet another name on Lewis' list of notable actresses who went out for the part of Sophie in L.A. Dunst got the opportunity to sing in 2007'sSpider-Man 3, tellingreportersat the film's premiere, "It was fun. I got to pre-record it so it wasn't so nerve-wracking. I didn't have to sing in front of our entire crew." When asked if she'd like to pursue a musical career, Dunst said, "Definitely not. I'll sing in movies." Alamy Chris Jackson/Getty According to John, "All sorts of names came in for Sky," among themOutlander'sSam Heughan. But unfortunately, his audition was one of his "worst" acting experiences, he toldBackstagein September 2020. "I was working with Will Young, this British musician, and he helped me with the song. He was, like, 'This is really high, I'll transfer it down an octave.' So I felt reasonably comfortable with it," he recalled. "I went in and I gave it to the piano player and I was, like, 'I'm just gonna put this down an octave.' And he was, like, 'No you're not. I'm the musical supervisor, you're going to do it like this.' It was like strangling a cat, singing forMamma Mia!" Astrid Stawiarz/Getty John toldVoguethat English actorHenry Cavillwas on the list of front-runners for the part of Sky, but it didn't work out due to scheduling. "We were interested ... but he was inThe Tudorsat the time and unavailable," she shared. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Cooper's part of Sky might have gone toThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2alum Joe Anderson. "He had just done a musical [2007'sAcross the Universe] and his audition was fabulous," John toldVogue. Mike Marsland/WireImage AtonementstarJames McAvoywas also approached by the casting directors for the part of Sky. "We went out to James McAvoy andTom Hardybut they were both unavailable," John toldVogue. Jon Furniss/WireImage Tom Hardy was also "unavailable" for the role of Sky, according to John. ANDREAS BRANCH/Patrick McMullan via Getty TheAmerican Pieactor also auditioned for the role of Sky — and his audition tape later went viral, racking up over 500,000 views. "It's a horrible audition," Klein toldHuffpostin March 2012. "I took a chance — I can't sing! I don't know why I was in there. But I took a chance! It's a musical — let's see if I can give it a shot." "It wasreallya dreadful audition," he added. Read the original article onPeople
