Sometimes, you volunteer as tribute and you don't get picked.
Zoey Deutch shared that she auditioned to play the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games franchise, though the archer was ultimately portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence. In fact, Zoey said Katniss was the No. 1 part that she wished she would have gotten in her career that she didn't land.
"I screen-tested for Katniss," Zoey revealed during the Aug. 2 episode of the Lights Camera Barstool podcast. "But knew I didn't get it, because in the screen test, he was like, ‘Why don't you read this other part?' But, yeah, that one was a little painful."
While Zoey said that losing the character of Katniss was a "tough one," it's not the only project she has loved and lost.
"At one of these award shows, I gave like the Best Limited Series award out and every single one that was nominated, I had auditioned and not gotten it," she shared. "Like during the pandemic, there were only four projects that I auditioned for that I really wanted. And all four of them, I was like, ‘And the award goes to…'"
She added, "I didn't get any of these parts!"
But looking towards the future, there's another acting dream Zoey is holding out for: She wants to do a film directed by Martin Scorsese co-starring Brad Pitt. After all, Zoey noted that Brad is "the greatest movie star alive."
As for a film she has reservations about jumping into, Zoey shared that taking on the role of Lorraine (which was originally played by Zoey's mom, Lea Thompson) in a Back to the Future reboot "depends on the circumstances."
"I think it depends on what the other factors and elements are," she said. "Like, who is involved? Who is directing?"
With that being said, Zoey shared that she has the prom dress from the original flick. "I wore it for Halloween," she noted. So, she may not have Katniss' Mockingjay pin, but she does have another equally cool movie costume in her wardrobe. Sounds like a fair trade!
Editor's Note (Aug. 2, 9 a.m. ET): A previous version of this story said Zoey "almost played" the role of Katniss in The Hunger Games. The text has since been updated.