Dylan O'Brien almost did not get the lead role in the upcoming sci-fi action thriller film "The Maze Runner" because of his "Teen Wolf" hair.
Based on the first book in the young-adult trilogy of the same name by James Dashner, "The Maze Runner" follows the story of teenager Thomas (O'Brien) who wakes up to find himself without any memory of his past in a giant maze called The Glade, which is already inhabited by a group of similarly amnesiac boys, working to plan an escape. The routine of The Glade has gone erratic since his arrival, and it becomes apparent that Thomas is the key to their great escape, according to Zap2it.
Director Wes Ball wanted to cast the late River Phoenix for the role of Thomas, but knowing that the actor has long been gone, he looked for a star who can remind him of Phoenix's intensity as displayed in the 1986 drama film "The Mosquito Coast," and O'Brien, unluckily, was initially among the several actors he refused to cast, Philippine Star reported.
The 23-year-old teen heartthrob did not impress Ball during his first audition because of the way he wore his hair. O'Brien was just coming off the set of "Teen Wolf" and was still wearing the hair and make-up he used for the hit MTV supernatural show during his initial audition for the role. "I was coming off work, I had hair and make-up and I was, like, 'Oh, this is going to be great,' yet it turned off the director. Things are funny like that," he said during a recent junket for the film.
But after about four months, he got the call back. "There was another project that I was auditioning for and when I went in, they were like, 'You should come in for Maze Runner,' and I was, like, 'I have! You guys never called me back!" he recounted. The casting director resent O'Brien's tape to Ball. He was then called to do another series of casting tests, and was finally cast.
In an interview with Business Mirror, O'Brien revealed Ball's impression of him during his first audition. "He told me way later that he initially passed on my tape without thinking about it because he was like, 'Oh yeah, too flashy,'" he shared.
"He told me it was a big lesson he learned; one of his big, first movie lessons," he continued. "He was like, 'I'll never forget that I can't think like that during the audition phase, because you're so Thomas to me now, and I can't think of anyone else.' He saw a picture of me with a buzzcut and that was like, 'Oh, OK.'"
"It was funny to me because I'm never thinking about that at all," he explained. "Sometimes, if it's drastic, I want to influence what I'm doing in the room. But I didn't think it mattered for that-hair can be changed or cut, or thrown a wig over.
"The Maze Runner" opens in theaters on Sept. 19.