Sebastian Stan’s Near Misses: Roles That Got Away
Sebastian Stan opens up about two blockbuster roles he almost landed, revealing how close he came to playing Captain Kirk and Green Lantern—parts that later proved challenging for their stars.
Life’s looking pretty sweet for Sebastian Stan these days. He’s got the charm, the looks, and a career that lets him jump between gritty dramas and the Marvel juggernaut whenever he fancies. But, like most actors, his path to stardom wasn’t all smooth sailing. Before he became a household name, there were a few big roles that slipped through his fingers—some of which went on to become both iconic and, in hindsight, a bit of a headache for the blokes who landed them.
Stan recently reflected on a couple of these close calls, including a shot at one of science fiction’s most legendary characters.
“Captain Kirk for JJ Abrams was one of the first things that I got very close to,”
he shared.
“I was really close, and I had a screen test with him at Paramount studios, and my manager had me do a separate photoshoot where I would try and replicate all of these William Shatner pictures.”
In the end, Chris Pine scored the gig, steering the Enterprise through three modern films. The first reboot was a smash hit, breathing new life into a franchise that had been running on empty. Still, as time went on, the shine wore off, and even Pine himself once joked the series was “cursed”.
Green Lantern: A Missed Opportunity or a Lucky Escape?
Stan’s other near-miss was for a superhero flick that, on paper, looked like a dream job.
“Green Lantern was another that I screen tested for,”
he recalled.
“I remember getting there, and it was like me, Justin Timberlake, Jared Leto, Ryan Reynolds and maybe one other person, and I’m looking at these guys going, ‘I’m fucked! There’s no way this is happening!’”
Turns out, he was right. Ryan Reynolds ended up donning the green suit for the big-screen adaptation. But as anyone who’s heard Reynolds take the mickey out of that film knows, it was hardly a career highlight. The end result was a flop, nearly derailing Reynolds’ career until he bounced back years later in a very different superhero getup.
It’s a classic case of “be careful what you wish for.” Both franchises ended up being a bit of a poisoned chalice for their leading men, with neither Pine nor Reynolds exactly singing their praises in the years since.
Finding His Own Breakthrough
Stan didn’t have to wait long for his own big moment. After a supporting turn as Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger, it was his lead role in The Winter Soldier that really put him on the map. Sometimes, missing out on one opportunity just means something better is waiting around the corner.