17 Wild Celebrity Audition Tapes That'll Change How You See Your Favorite Shows And Movies

It's wild to watch Seth Rogen and Kathryn Hahn audition for The Office.

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite celebrity audition tapes from before they were famous. Here are the wild results.

1. When an 18-year-old Jim Carrey auditioned for Saturday Night Live in the '80s but didn't get the job — which, you know, probably worked out in his favor anyway.

NBC / youtube.com

Suggested by tayloraowens

A lot of now-famous people audition for SNL but don't get the gig — like Lisa Kudrow, Steve Carell, and Kevin Hart — but it's wild to think that Jim Carrey is also part of that list. He actually auditioned for the show three times in the '80s, the first time when he was just 18 years old.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lorne Michaels wasn't actually present during Carrey's auditions, so who knows what really would have happened if Lorne got a chance to see him perform: "I wasn’t at the Jim Carrey audition, but somebody who was there said, 'I don’t think Lorne would like it,' and they were probably wrong, but it doesn’t matter. Or maybe they were right — who knows? No one gets it all right." Carrey ultimately went on to host the show three times and made several guest appearances.

Here's the audition tape:

NBC / youtube.com

2. When Miley Cyrus sang songs from Mamma Mia! during her ~dozens~ of auditions for Hannah Montana, first for the supporting role of Lilly and then for Zoey (later "Miley").

Disney Channel / youtube.com

"Miley Cyrus went to her final Hannah Montana audition wearing a shirt that said 'I should have my own TV show.' The clips are quite funny because she's so young, but you can't deny her talent."

—hiitsnicetomeetyou

Here's the audition tape:

Disney Channel / youtube.com

3. When Henry Thomas was able to cry on command while auditioning for Elliott in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Steven Spielberg was so impressed that he gave him the part right there.

Amblin Entertainment / youtube.com

Suggested by t443a7d58b

It's wild to be a fly on the wall during this incredibly intense audition, especially since a lot of it was improvised on the spot. Aside from doing a line reading, Steven Spielberg put 9-year-old Henry Thomas through an emotional roller coaster — I mean, there were literally tears flowing down his face — by suggesting different scenarios about E.T.'s fate that Thomas should react to. Spielberg was so impressed that he turned to Thomas at the end of the audition and told him he booked the role. Watching it all unfold still gives me goosebumps.

Here's the audition tape:

Amblin Entertainment / youtube.com

4. When Dacre Montgomery was sooooo haunting and deranged in his audition for Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things.

Netflix / GQ / youtube.com / Netflix

"He had a lot of this manic, upbeat energy in the audition, which made it chilling because of how unpredictable his character was. Billy may have been written as a stereotypical bully, but Dacre made him so much more, right from the start. He managed to be one of the scariest things in a show full of monsters."

—katcloud

Here's the audition tape:

Netflix / GQ / youtube.com

5. When Daisy Ridley had tears streaming down her face during an intense torture scene for her Star Wars: The Force Awakens audition.

Lucas Films / youtube.com

Suggested by noradominick

Daisy Ridley's first audition for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was featured as behind-the-scenes footage on the DVD. The particular scene for her audition was the super intense and emotional interrogation scene between Rey and Kylo Ren. J.J. Abrams, the film's writer and director, was so impressed with Ridley's performance that it genuinely shocked him: "She just blew my mind. She's reaching this depth of struggle, and tears are streaming down her face. I just thought, 'this is unbelievable.'"

Here's the audition tape:

Lucas Films / youtube.com

6. When Guy Fieri showed off his raw talent and NSFW language during his audition to be a contestant on Food Network Star.

Food Network / youtube.com

"Even from only a two-minute video, you can just tell that Guy Fieri was born to host shows. He already had the charisma and the personality for it, even before being 'trained' during his season of Food Network Star."

—doeeyedfawn

Here's the audition tape:

Food Network / youtube.com

7. When Jason Momoa did the haka, a ceremonial dance, during his audition for Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones.

HBO / youtube.com

"It gives me chills every time I watch it!"

—oliviadwoodward

Here's the audition tape:

HBO / youtube.com

8. When Rachel McAdams auditioned with the iconic ~fight scene~ from The Notebook, and Ryan Gosling was the one who ran lines with her.

New Line Cinema / youtube.com

"It was so raw and beautiful."

—aleeh4b

Here's the audition tape:

New Line Cinema / youtube.com

9. When Will Ferrell pretended to be a very important businessman who also played with cat toys during his Saturday Night Live audition.

NBC / youtube.com

"Will Ferrell’s SNL audition contains my favorite comedy bit of all time. He sits down with a brown paper bag in his hands, says 'Mrs. Dettweiler, please hold all my calls,' then pulls a cat toy out of the bag and proceeds to bat it around for five minutes straight. The whole audition is great, and we get to see the origins of some of his classic sketches, like the 'Get Off the Shed' guy and Harry Caray."

—verysmallrocks

Here's the audition tape:

NBC / youtube.com

10. When Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and the rest of the Stranger Things gang gave all of the adults a run for their money during their auditions.

Netflix / youtube.com

"Millie Bobby Brown's hair was messed up, and it felt very authentic, rather than someone standing in front of a blue wall and saying their lines. Her tape just shows how good actors can be when they actually practice and have pure talent." —aesthetic_hayley

"Finn Wolfhard introducing himself as 'Hi, I’m Finn Wolfhard. I’m sick' will always make me laugh." —galexyturtle

Here are the audition tapes:

Netflix / youtube.com

11. When Robert Downey Jr.'s audition for Iron Man basically turned into him being sarcastic with everyone behind the camera, proving that he really is Tony Stark.

Marvel / youtube.com

"Robert Downey Jr. completely crushes his audition for Iron Man in this screen test. It reminds you that he really is an amazing actor, and it proves why he had been nominated for an Oscar before ever putting on the Iron Man suit. His reactions to everything in this are so good. It's a master class."

—sbaleswestern

Here's the audition tape:

Marvel / youtube.com

12. When Rose Byrne was so funny during her audition for Get Him to the Greek that everyone around her kept cracking up while she delivered her lines.

Universal Pictures / youtube.com

"Love or hate the movie, but Rose Byrne was dynamite in her audition for Get Him to the Greek. She was hysterical!"

—cheesemonster

Here's the audition tape:

Universal Pictures / youtube.com

13. When 22-year-old Matthew McConaughey auditioned for Dazed and Confused, his first movie ever, and completely blew the director away with his ease and natural talent.

Gramercy Pictures / youtube.com

Suggested by tessafahey

Aside from booking a few commercials and reenacting a scene for an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, Matthew McConaughey was new to Hollywood when he auditioned for Dazed and Confused. Still, something clicked during his audition. Writer-director Richard Linklater was genuinely in awe while watching McConaughey, saying: “He came in on an audition and said, ‘Hey, I’m not this guy, but I know this guy.’ And he just became that character.”

Here's the audition tape:

Gramercy Pictures / youtube.com

14. When Lea Michele talked back to the directors during her "disastrous" audition for Rachel Berry in Glee, but she still got the part.

Fox / youtube.com

Suggested by laurengarafano

Lea Michele's audition for Glee definitely didn't go the way she originally planned. Apparently, the directors really liked when she talked back to them because it showcased a lot of "what was and would become Rachel Berry." Everyone was entertained and kept laughing, so she ultimately got the part.

Here's the audition tape:

Fox / youtube.com

15. When 23-year-old Marlon Brando auditioned for Rebel Without a Cause, the role that ultimately went to James Dean.

Warner Bros. / youtube.com

Suggested by layla89

It's interesting to watch auditions and screen tests from the Old Hollywood era, especially for people who ultimately became some of the biggest stars in the world. This particular audition didn't land Brando the role, but he had been performing on stage for several years already. At the end of his audition tape, the casting director asks Brando to show his facial profiles and to give the camera a twirl so they can see all of his angles. Brando silently scoffs and tries to laugh it off, but you can see how foreign and ridiculous it all sounds to him.

Here's the audition tape:

Warner Bros. / youtube.com

16. When Selena Gomez gushed about her love for the Disney Channel while auditioning at 11 years old, and now she's Disney Channel royalty.

Disney Channel / youtube.com

"Her whole audition is absolutely adorable!"

—pinkplanet

Here's the audition tape:

Disney Channel / youtube.com

17. And when every funny person in Hollywood auditioned for The Office but somehow didn't get the part.

NBC / IGN / youtube.com

"Watching the compilation of famous people who auditioned for The Office but didn't get the parts is so wild because, like, that show could have looked VERY different. I would pay a lot of money to watch a version of the series where John Cho and Kathryn Hahn play Jim and Pam."

—spenceralthouse

Here are the audition tapes:

NBC / youtube.com

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.