Amazing TV Roles That Almost Went to Other Actors: Ryan Reynolds on Buffy, Ashlee Simpson on Vampire Diaries and More!

Click through our gallery of actors and actresses who auditioned or were considered for your favorite TV characters

By Jenna Mullins Nov 19, 2013 2:30 PMTags
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Can you imagine Ashlee Simpson smack dab in the middle of one of TV's hottest love triangles on The Vampire Diaries? How about John Cusack giving the legendary "I am the one who knocks" speech on Breaking Bad? Ryan Reynolds alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Or, heaven forbid, anyone else but Jennifer Aniston playing Rachel Green on Friends? It's a scary TV world to envision, but it almost happened!

We've rounded up a list of actors and actresses who were very close to landing iconic television roles, and some of them you're not going to believe. (Isaiah Washington as Dr. McDreamy? Oh, yeah. Almost a real thing). Some of the actors passed on these parts, while some just auditioned and didn't land it for one reason or another. But they all have one thing in common: their might-have-been roles might change the way you look at your favorite characters forever.

Ready to jump into a world where John Krasinski wasn't Jim Halpert on The Office or David Hasselhoff wasn't the main man on Baywatch? Click through our Amazing TV Roles That Might Have Been gallery to see the small screen alternate universe!

PHOTOS: Amazing TV Roles That Almost Went to Other Actors