25 Things You Didn't Know About The Mask
21. Anna Nicole Smith & Jennifer Connelly Were Considered For Tina Carlyle
Much like Carrey's lead role, it's incredibly difficult to imagine anyone else but Cameron Diaz in the part of gangster's moll Tina Carlyle, but the casting of Diaz, who had never acted in a film before, was far from a sure thing when Russell first caught wind of her.
Producers were instead keen to hire Anna Nicole Smith for the part, and though Russell did meet with her, he ultimately stuck to his guns with Diaz. After 12 auditions, the producers finally agreed to hire her a mere week before shooting started.
Smith wasn't the only actress in contention, though: the likes of Jennifer Connelly, Kristy Swanson, Jeri Ryan and Vanessa Williams (who ended up recording a song for the movie) were all considered at various stages.
Tina's opening rain-soaked entrance in the bank is surely all the proof anyone needs that the correct casting decision was made, right?