Zoolander‘s 20th anniversary presents plenty of opportunity for reflection. Not only did the film receive a sequel but also some SNL Weekend Update face time, along with this ^^^ surprise appearance at Paris Fashion Week (for Valentino, obviously) in 2015. Of course, much of the film’s appeal arrived courtesy of Owen Wilson, his famous pout, and his lustrous locks. As Hansel, his Blue Steel rivaled star Ben Stiller’s efforts, and Hansel continues to be “so hot right now,” but Ben Stiller has revealed that another (surprising) actor had a shot at the role.
That actor, Jake Gyllenhaal, didn’t score Hansel, but he did go on to receive an Oscar nod (for Best Supporting Actor in Brokeback Mountain). Of course, Wilson also followed up Zoolander with his own Academy Award nomination (for Best Screenplay in The Royal Tenenbaums), and everything’s turning out just fine for both actors (with Gyllenhaal starring in this weekend’s The Guilty on Netflix and Wilson scoring big with Marvel fans in Loki on Disney+). It’s still a trip to envision Stiller’s account (as related in an Esquire interview) of how Gyllenhaal auditioned for Hansel:
Wilson was always Stiller’s first choice for who he wanted to play Hansel, but when it looked like he wouldn’t be available to shoot, they were forced to hold auditions. “The only one that I remember clearly was a young Jake Gyllenhaal doing this wide-eyed version of Hansel that was really funny,” recalls Stiller.
Things worked out the way that they’re supposed to, but Stiller wasn’t done yet. He also revealed that Andy Dick was originally cast as Mugatu, and then Will Ferrell stepped in for scheduling reasons. In other words, the “so hot right now” line almost didn’t happen as we know it, either. Memories!
(Via Esquire)