20 Things You Didn’t Know About Whiplash
12. What Could Have Been
Right now, it is hard to imagine anyone else playing Andrew Neiman the same way Miles Teller did. His portrayal of a doe-eyed freshman descending into an unhealthy state of obsession felt painfully authentic and was able to stand on its own next to J.K. Simmons’ towering performance.
This is why it was somewhat surprising to learn that Teller may have not gotten the role during the early days of the film’s development. Johnny Simmons (Evan Almighty, Scott Pilgrim) played Neiman in the story’s 2013 short film version and was slated to reprise his role due to Teller’s unavailability at the time.
Ultimately, Teller’s schedule opened up and he won the role due to his experience as a drummer and his larger status in the industry. In addition to this, Dane DeHaan passed on the role in order to star in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a decision that he probably is not too proud of.