Jorge Garcia
While you may initially cringe when you see Garcia, who fans of the show have come to know only as the beloved character Hurley, embody Sawyer, but this audition is just a testament to the actor’s range. He brought out a whole new side to the character audiences had never imagined simply from watching the character Holloway created on the show, but we’re still really glad he became Hurley instead of Sawyer. Something tells us we just wouldn’t love that Weezer album as much as we do if it had been called Sawyer.
Matthew Fox
If you thought you were going to cringe while watching Jorge Garcia’s Sawyer audition, brace yourself. Watching Matthew Fox audition for the roles of Sawyer and Jack back to back makes it abundantly clear that he’s the sort of person who was simply born to play Jack. He would have made an awful Sawyer, don’t you think?
Josh Holloway
Okay, we’re not going to make you cringe anymore, we promise. Even though we’re pretty sure this clip shows Holloway auditioning for the role of Charlie (hence questions of what he’s going to do when he runs out [of heroin] and his saying “mate”), but it’s clear as can be that he’d make a perfect Sawyer. Something about the hair, facial stubble, those dimples on the maniacal smirk…he reminds us of Jack Nicholson a bit here. He’s the perfect balance evil and charming that makes us hate/love him like we do Sawyer.
Evangeline Lilly
Personally, we’d never really liked Jack (at all), so we’re a little distracted while we watch this audition as the dialogue reveals he was originally supposed to die. We probably would’ve enjoyed the show just a bit more. Focusing on the actual audition and performance of Evangeline Lilly, it’s no surprise she landed the role of Kate. She pretty much did everything we’ve come to expect from Kate emotionally right there in less than 3 minutes. Bravo!
Naveen Andrews
Wow, so… we have chills. Andrews completely crushed this. We can’t imagine anyone else coming in with a better audition than that, nor could we imagine anyone else as Sayid. Why is he not in, like, every movie?
Dominic Monaghan
It’s bizarre to see our favorite character, Charlie, uttering Sawyer’s lines. We’re having a hard time believing that a face as adorable as his could have possibly been the moody and brooding bad guy on the show. Even the way he begins, with his “hey,” is just too lovable to pass for Sawyer. Thankfully, the casting directors got this one right, and Monaghan graced our small screens with the unforgettable cries of “You all everybody!”
Emilie de Ravin
While first watching this audition, we were underwhelmed. We thought de Ravin was cute and likable, but we were unsure of what the casting directors saw in her that cemented her as Claire. Before we knew it, we were so engrossed in her story and her acting in a way we hadn’t been for any of the other auditions, and we realized. Whatever de Ravin has, it’s magical.
Malcolm David Kelley
Kelley’s facial expressions throughout this audition are just TOO adorable! No wonder he got the role. He had to be a cute kid learning how to play a game. Job done (and done very well).
Harold Perrineau
Did they even need to make him audition? From the first moment the audition starts, we’re sold. He is Michael. This could be one of the best castings of the bunch, regardless of personal feelings about the character.
Yunjin Kim
Initially auditioning for Kate, Yunjin Kim wowed so much in her audition that they created the role of Sun Kwon (and her husband Jin) specifically for her. Once they created Sun, Kim felt that the character was too submissive and rejected it until series creator J.J. Abrams convinced her to take the part. While we think she would have been an adequate Kate, we’re even more pleased with her decision to accept the role of Sun.
Ian Somerhalder
Somerhalder’s facial expression at the 1:00 mark is a career-maker if we’ve ever seen one. It’s no wonder there are so many teenage girls freaking out over this gorgeous pair of eyebrows, and, even though we can’t understand anything he says once he bites that granola bar, we’re sure nobody could have done a better job with this audition than he did.
Maggie Grace
Give props where props are due, and Maggie Grace kind of crushed that audition. Though most people probably didn’t like her character, Shannon, she did a really great job of emotionally conveying the less-than-likable character’s emotions, even in the audition.
