Joe Alwyn Lost Out on an Iconic Rom-Com Role When He Was Just a Kid
Joe Alwyn became one of the brightest young stars on the screen in recent years. The actor rose to prominence in 2018’s The Favourite and has since gone on to mass acclaim in 2022’s television drama Conversations with Friends. However, if one of his early auditions went just a bit better, perhaps Alwyn would have gained notoriety much earlier.
Joe Alwyn became interested in movies at a young age
Joe’s father showed him classic cinema early, which sparked an interest that eventually led to his son’s Hollywood career.
“There wasn’t really a light bulb moment. You know, I studied [acting] throughout school, and I love watching movies,” he said on Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2018.
Richard Alwyn was an educational filmmaker who spoke about historical figures and current events. This inspired his son from an early age. Alwyn grew up watching his father write, direct, produce, and edit films shown worldwide. This privilege gave him the type of education he needed, although it wasn’t his acting skills that got him noticed.
“[The auditions] came about because of Zorro,” he explained. “I took these fencing lessons. They’ll often send casting directors around to schools and community centers. So this local community center where I took fencing lessons, this brilliant U.K. casting director called Shaheen Bag, she came around, and she saw me there. And it meant that I got time off school to go to this audition.”
The audition? A cult-classic romantic comedy: Love Actually.
Joe Alwyn lost the role in ‘Love Actually’ to Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Love Actually is an ensemble film featuring Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and many other big-name British actors. It tells the interweaving stories of their characters during the holiday season, featuring love triangles, politics, spiraling musicians, and single fathers (and their step-kids) finding love.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster played Sam, the stepson of Liam Neeson’s Daniel, who develops a crush on a classmate but is too scared to tell her. The heartwarming tale showcases Sam and Daniel growing closer, all in the name of first love. Despite losing out on the role, Alwyn looks back on the experience fondly.
“I went to [the audition],” he explained. “And then they had me back for another one and another one, and there was a whole series of workshops. And I didn’t get it in the end, obviously, but I do remember meeting Hugh Grant and [director] Richard Curtis and sitting down with them and reading some stuff.”
Joe Alwyn’s rise to fame
It took more than a decade for Alwyn to score his big break. Straight out of school, he landed the title role in Ang Lee’s 2016 Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Despite the film’s lackluster reception, he continued to work, and soon landed more roles.
In 2018, Alwyn appeared in a prominent role in Oscar-darling The Favourite. He also turned to the small-screen, landing a leading role in the BBC-Hulu production Conversations with Friends. Upcoming roles include the films Catherine Called Birdy and a modern adaptation of Hamlet. Despite being best known to many as Taylor Swift’s long-time partner and collaborator, Alwyn is making his mark on Hollywood.
