10 Doctor Who Actors Who Almost Played Different Characters

2. Jenna Coleman

Clara Oswald has left such a long lasting impression on the Doctor Who mythology that it's hard to imagine a time where she wasn't such a huge part of it (quite literally, too, since she's been saving the Doctor's life since his days as William Hartnell). Believe it or not, though, but she really was once just a leaf - metaphorically speaking - and originally Jenna Coleman looked set to make her Doctor Who debut as a completely different character altogether. The actress screen tested for the part of Mels, Amy and Rory's childhood best friend, whose guest appearance in the Series 6: Part 2 premiere, Let's Kill Hitler, escalated rather quickly when she was revealed as a regenerated incarnation of the Ponds' daughter who then proceeded to transform into River Song before their very eyes. Did anybody else find that day just a little bit difficult? Suffice to say, show bosses opted that Jenna wasn't quite right for that particular part, so the role went to Nina Toussaint-White instead. Everything worked out for the best, though, because Jenna came swinging into action as the impossible girl just 6 episodes later. The rest, as the say, is history.