2000s comedies certainly had their own unique way of doing things, and while the 90s had plenty of great comedies, things certainly took an interesting turn in the following decade. When looking at the best comedies from the 2000s, The Hangover is definitely near the top of the list.
Starring a talented cast of performers, The Hangover was a huge hit that spawned a franchise. Before the final cast was in place, there were some interesting names in consideration for the film's biggest roles.
Let's take a look and see who almost starred in The Hangover.
'The Hangover' Is A Comedy Classic
As one of the funniest movies of the 2000s, The Hangover was the right raunchy comedy at the right time when it hit theaters. Directed by Todd Phillips and featuring some exceptional comedic talent, this massive success of a movie kicked off an entire comedy franchise of films.
Throughout the first film, fans were treated to hilarious scenes, memorable lines, and even a string of photos during the credits that managed to top some of the best elements from the movie itself.
Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis could not have had better chemistry with one another on-screen, and they were genuinely believable as a group of best friends going through a wild day of collecting clues and piecing together their insane evening.
At this point, it is extremely hard to imagine other performers starring in The Hangover, especially considering how amazing all of the film's stars were. However, early on, a number of other actors were considered for primary roles, which would have caused this movie to look a whole lot different.
Seth Rogen And Lindsay Lohan Nearly Played Stu And Jade
When looking at some of the biggest changes that could have happened to the cast, we need to take a look at Seth Rogen being considered for the role of Stu. Ed Helms wound up being the man for the job, but Rogen could have certainly done some interesting things with the character.
Heather Graham's character, Jade, was another character that nearly looked a lot different early on. None other than Lindsay Lohan was in consideration for the role.
According to Todd Phillips, "I did meet with Lindsay Lohan a little bit [before casting Heather Graham], and we talked. Honestly, it felt like she ended up being too young for what we were talking about. People love to attack her for everything, like: “Ha, she didn’t see how great The Hangover was going to be. She turned it down.” She didn’t turn it down. She loved the script, actually. It really was an age thing."
Considering that these two characters wind up together, albeit, in a way that Stu doesn't remember, it would have been hilarious to watch a movie featuring a marriage between Seth Rogen and Lindsay Lohan.
These changes would have been wild, but Stu and Jade weren't the only characters that nearly looked a lot different.
Jack Black And Paul Rudd Nearly Played Alan And Phil
Alan is quite possibly the most memorable character from the Hangover movies, and early on, Jack Black was offered the role. He would, however, turn it down, which opened up the opportunity for other actors. The character's development would change over time, and this led Todd Phillips to consider a number of other actors.
According to Phillips, "When we were writing, we did have [other actors] in mind. Quite honestly, we were writing the brother-in-law as a younger brother they had to take along with them — like a Jonah Hill character instead of Zach [Jake Gyllenhaal also was considered]."
"Then we thought it’d be so much more awkward if it was an older brother who’s still at home. [Thomas Haden Church was strongly considered.] I’ve always been a huge fan of Zach [as a comedian and actor], but Zach didn’t want to come out and meet with me," he continued.
That is a whole lot of talent that was considered for Alan, and Galifianakis wound up being the perfect man for the job. Similarly, Cooper was a perfect fit for Phil, and some strong names nearly landed that role, as well. Paul Rudd was up for the part, but he turned it down, opening the door for Bradley Cooper to step in and secure a role that helped make him a star.
While the actors who could have appeared in the movie would have done a great job, the dream team that was assembled helped the film become a classic and hit at the box office.
