The Divergent movies have arrived on Netflix, and fans can finally watch the journey of Shailene Woodley’s Tris Prior as she navigates the dystopian world where people are divided into factions. The first installment hit the big screen in 2014 and was followed by two more sequels.
Apparently, one actor who auditioned for the role of Tobias Eaton, aka Four, was initially rejected before joining the franchise for another part. In the end, he enjoyed being the antagonist rather than leading a failed franchise.
Miles Teller Shares Audition Story For Divergent
During his interview with Vulture, actor Miles Teller shared how he joined the Divergent movies. He revealed originally going for Four, but he failed to win the part.
I auditioned for Four originally and maybe, yeah, that would have been cool to do. But it’s nice to play against type. I think I play usually very likable characters, and so it was refreshing to be on set and not have to make people laugh. It was just like, get in shape and pick on Shailene.
The role of Four eventually went to Theo James, but after Teller got rejected, he was contacted again to try for another part. Still, he didn’t think he would nail portraying Eric Coulter (played by Jai Courtney).
I auditioned for Four, and then they said I wasn’t going to go further. I said okay. And then the producers had seen Spectacular Now, and they said, “There’s this part Eric maybe you could play.” I said, “I don’t know” — because [as Eric] I’m supposed to be intimidating to Theo. I don’t know if that works.
In the end, the producers suggested him to play Peter Hayes. The Top Gun: Maverick star said Shailene Woodley sent him a message asking to join her in the project. The actor thought it seemed like a great idea, so he agreed.
The Divergent franchise received mixed reviews from critics. Many claimed the story veered away from the source material, and in an oversaturated market of dystopian films, it failed to attract more fans. As per The Numbers, the trilogy only earned $347 million on domestic sales against a total budget of $305 million, making it a huge disappointment.
In fact, the final Divergent film which was supposed to be the ‘part two’ of Allegiant was canceled due to declining interest from fans.
Theo James Breaks Silence On The Failure Of Divergent Movies
Theo James spoke about what he feels about the failure of the Divergent franchise. He shared via TooFab:
I think it’s a shame that we can’t finish the story, but I think it’s evolving in a place where the actors that have been in the three movies probably won’t be in whatever it evolves to in the future.
James also felt boxed in his role as Four as he claimed via Vanity Fair that he was “very much in a certain type of role” and getting pigeonholed in movies like Divergent “can be pretty f—king boring.”
Miles Teller is probably glad that he didn’t have to share the embarrassment with the failure of the Divergent franchise. After all, he was just a minor character.
Divergent is now streaming on Netflix.
