9 Stars Who Almost Had Roles on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’

Buffy the Vampire Slayer lore is rich with stories of stars from the WB supernatural drama almost getting cast as characters other than the ones they eventually portrayed.

Before Charisma Carpenter got the part of Sunnydale mean girl Cordelia Chase, for example, she was under consideration to play Buffy, the role that Sarah Michelle Gellar landed. Before Bianca Lawson guest-starred as replacement slayer Kendra Young, she auditioned for Carpenter’s part. Danny Strong, who played sorcerer student Jonathan Levinson, tried out for the part of Scooby Gang member Xander. And Nathan Fillion, the actor behind misogynistic preacher Caleb, was in the running for vampire Angel.

But the casting directors also set their sights on film, TV, and music stars who didn’t end up making the Buffy call sheet. Melanie Lynskey, for example, just revealed that she nearly had a major role on the show, and she’s in good company.