https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiyfW0SRsIE
Happy birthday, Jessica Alba! The lovely Sin City actress turns 35 years old today. Though Alba has certainly had a solid career since her breakout role starring on James Cameron’s television series Dark Angel, she hasn’t landed every role that she has been up for.
Case in point: Get Smart. Alba auditioned to play Agent 99 in the 2008 comedy opposite Steve Carell, but the role was given to Anne Hathaway instead even though at that time Alba was the much bigger name (though Hathaway had more of a background in comedy films). The above video features Alba’s audition for the role, and though she shines in a few moments it’s pretty clear that Hathaway was a better choice for the role.
Curiously, Get Smart opened in theaters on June 20, 2008 and Alba appeared in a movie that also opened on that date. That movie? The Love Guru. I think it’s fair to say that Hathaway had better luck.
