Star Wars: 20 Things You Didn't Know About The Last Jedi
15. Tatiana Maslany, Gina Rodriguez, Olivia Cooke & Others Were Considered For Rose
The role of Resistance member Rose Tico was heavily sought out in Hollywood, as of course eventually went to the largely unknown Kelly Marie Tran.
It's especially impressive on Tran's part considering that she had to fend off competition from a bevy of considerably more established and well-known actresses.
This included the likes of Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki), all of whom made the shortlist and may have even screen-tested for the part.
Ultimately hiring an "unknown" to play Rose may have been for the best, though, allowing her to function as an easy audience surrogate without the distracting potential a more high-profile performer might've brought to the role.
Though Tran was praised for her performance, toxic fans of course had other plans.