Alicia Silverstone ‘too pretty’ for My So-Called Life

Alicia Silverstone almost snagged Claire Danes’ breakthrough role in 1990s drama My So-Called Life but TV bosses feared she was “too pretty” for the role. Silverstone was a front-runner for the role of awkward teenager Angela Chase in the U.S. series, but the show’s creators butted heads over her looks, according to a new expose in The New Yorker.
The Clueless actress nailed her audition and TV boss Ed Zwick wanted her for the lead part, but co-creator Marshall Herskovitz deemed her “too pretty”, telling the publication, “Alicia is so beautiful that that would have affected her experience of the world.”
Homeland star Danes was asked to try out for the role after she was spotted in an episode of U.S. legal series Law & Order, and her performance convinced the casting panel she was perfect for the job.
Casting director Linda Lowy adds, “From the minute she walked in the room, Claire was chilling, astounding, and silent.”
The cult show also kickstarted the career of rocker/actor Jared Leto, who starred as the object of Danes’ affections.