Brad Pitt is enormously renowned for his spectacular acting and even better personality. With his impressive skills and charismatic persona, even his co-stars can’t help but be starstruck by him, let alone his fans from all around the world. And that’s exactly how Geena Davis, one of his co-stars, found herself completely moved by his glamorous acting skills.
As it turns out, while Pitt was auditioning for Thelma & Louise for the character of J.D., another major actress on sets, Geena Davis, fully lost all sight of her surroundings as she found herself immersed in his performance — to the point where she couldn’t even remember George Clooney’s audition, who had auditioned with her for the film!
Geena Davis Was Completely Starstruck By Brad Pitt’s Audition For Thelma & Louise
Brad Pitt has a history of mesmerizing the people around him, and his Thelma & Louise co-star Geena Davis fell prey to his alluring personality as well. Appearing on Access Hollywood, she shared how, out of the five guys up for the role, Pitt was the most outstanding (via ABC News).
“The four were great, wonderful, then Brad came in and [I was] a little awestruck … cause he was so cute,” Davis said, adding, “I was like, get the blonde guy!”
Several years after the release of the film, Davis found herself on a flight with George Clooney where she was met with a dumbfounding revelation.
“Here’s the crazy thing. I was sitting on a plane next to George Clooney a couple [of] years ago. He says, ‘I’m still mad at Brad Pitt.’ I said, ‘Why, I thought he was like your great friend.’ He says, ‘He got the part in ‘Thelma & Louise’.’ I said, ‘Did you want to be that part?'”
It was then that she realized that the Batman actor had auditioned with her as well!
“He was one of the other guys that read with me!” she said. “I should never have just admitted I forgot George Clooney.”
Turns out, little did Geena Davis know that several years would pass following the release of Thelma & Louise before she would realize that one other A-lister had auditioned for the role: whom she forgot to notice because of Brad Pitt’s over-alluring charm!
Several Other A-Listers Had Auditioned For J.D. Before Brad Pitt
Thelma & Louise was one of the biggest blockbusters of the year 1991: both in the eyes of fans as well as critics. One of the most famous casting for the film was the character of J.D.: the attractive grifter who swindled Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon‘s characters out of their money in the film.
And as surprising as it could get, George Clooney wasn’t the only A-lister who got rejected for the role. As it turns out, several top-rated actors wanted to play the roguish character, the list of which included Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Dermot Mulroney, and William Baldwin — all of whom were pretty young at the time.
What’s even more surprising is that the Batman actor didn’t get rejected once for the role of J.D. in the Ridley Scott, but a startling five times! For what it’s worth, Clooney most certainly has this audition up in his list of famously terrible auditions of all time.
And to say that Geena Davis couldn’t remember his audition even though George Clooney auditioned five times? Brad Pitt must have done some really strikingly charismatic acting to make someone so enormously immersed in it to the point where they just forget their own surroundings!
