The casting process is a fickle, malleable thing, both in film and TV. With Lost's expansive ensemble there are an almost infinite number of different combinations to the one that ended up on our screens (at least for the first three seasons, before most of us saw sense and started turning them off). Much like Mad Men, if the auditions had gone just a tiny bit differently, you'd've been looking at a whole different cast. With Michael Keaton being in line to play Jack and then only for one episode Evangeline Lilly's Kate was supposed to emerge as the lead character who all the rest of the survivors look up to. Except in that case she probably wouldn't have been played by Lilly, since the original Kate was envisioned as a middle-aged businesswoman whose husband apparently died in the crash. Which ended up becoming the MO of Rose later down the road. Dominic Monaghan eventually killed it as druggie rocker and Penny Boat truther Charlie, but he at first auditioned for Sawyer. If that sounds unbelievable, know that Josh Holloway's character started life as a slick suit-wearing city con man, and it was only when Holloway auditioned and blew up after forgetting his lines they altered Sawyer. Oh and Sayid? Created especially for Naveen Andrews when he auditioned. Imagine Lost with no Sayid!
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
