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Taylor Swift is undoubtedly best known for her singing and songwriting skills. The musician has been making waves in the industry since she recorded her first album, the eponymous Taylor Swift in 2004.
Since then, Swift has released another eight studio albums, which has catapulted her to the highest echelons of musical fame. For her outstanding work in those two decades or so, she is now the proud winner of a whopping 11 Grammy Awards.
Her most recent Grammy was in 2021, for her 2020 album Folklore in the category Album of the Year. It was the third time she was bagging that particular accolade, making it her most successful category at the awards.
On top of her incredible musical career, dabbled quite a bit into the art of acting. Still only 32, Swift has already made some memorable cameos in various movies and TV shows. Some of her biggest acting roles were in the movies Valentine's Day (2010), and the 2019 musical Cats, which was, however, widely panned by critics and audiences.
She could have featured in a much more successful musical, though, had director Tom Hooper cast her in his 2012 sensation, Les Misérables.
What Was The Film 'Les Misérables' About?
Les Misérables is a classic story that was first conceptualized as a novel by French poet, novelist and playwright Victor Hugo in 1852. A lot of modern versions of the story would be born, mostly inspired by a stage musical written by two French producers in 1980.
A non-musical film starring Liam Neeson was made by Danish director Bille August in 1998. The 2012 picture followed the same plot line, as was penned by William Nicholson, with the help of the two French producer-lyricists who wrote the 1980 musical.
The synopsis for Les Misérables on Rotten Tomatoes reads, 'After 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean is freed by Javert, the officer in charge of the prison workforce. Valjean promptly breaks parole but later uses money from stolen silver to reinvent himself as a mayor and factory owner.'
'Javert vows to bring Valjean back to prison,' the plot summary reads on. 'Eight years later, Valjean becomes the guardian of a child named Cosette after her mother's death, but Javert's relentless pursuit means that peace will be a long time coming.'
Which Role In 'Les Misérables' Did Taylor Swift Audition For?
Les Misérables is a very deep story that also has many characters. For the 2012 movie, a lot of top names were given roles in the ensemble cast. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe led the way with the two main parts - as Jean Valjean and Javert respectively.
Taylor Swift's friend, Anne Hathaway played the role of Fantine, a struggling worker who finds herself thrown out of a job in Valjean's factory after it is discovered that she has a child out of wedlock. Then 26 years old, Amanda Seyfried portrayed the grown-up version of Fantine's 'illegitimate' daughter, known as Cosette.
The role of young Cosette was played by English actress Isabelle Allen, who only turned 20 in March this year. At the beginning of the film, Cosette is shown to be living with two swindling innkeepers, who also have a daughter of their own - called Éponine. This is the part that Taylor Swift auditioned for, and reportedly did very well at it.
In the end, director Tom Hooper decided to go another direction, instead choosing to cast British actress and singer Samantha Barks in the role.
Why Did The Director Of 'Les Misérables' Turn Down Taylor Swift For The Role Of Éponine?
After the success of Les Misérables, Tom Hooper returned to the directorial chair in 2015, for the biographical drama film, The Danish Girl. Once again, the British-Australian filmmaker hit the jackpot, with this project being nominated for multiple awards.
Out of four nominations at the 2016 Oscars, Alicia Vikander won Best Supporting Actress for her work in the film. Hooper's next big screen project would be Cats in 2019, which didn't quite receive the same kind of acclaim.
Having seriously considered casting Taylor Swift in Les Misérables, Hooper decided he would have her playing the character Bombalurina in Cats. In the wake of the movie's implosion, the director was interviewed by Vulture magazine.
It was then that he spoke about the 'flattering reason' which made him pass on Swift for Éponine in 2012. "[Taylor] rather brilliantly auditioned for Éponine," he said. "Ultimately, I couldn’t quite believe Taylor Swift was a girl people would overlook. So it didn’t quite feel right for her for the most flattering reason."
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