This ‘Office’ Star Lost ‘Bridesmaids’ Role to Maya Rudolph
Bridesmaids starring Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig is an excellent movie that shocked the industry with its success at the box office in 2011. It made over $306 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film produced by Judd Apatow.
The brilliance of Bridesmaids lies in the electric chemistry among its ensemble, but the cast could’ve included different comedic actors. After becoming a household name in The Office, Mindy Kaling auditioned to co-star in the movie. Unfortunately, she lost out on the part to Maya Rudolph.
‘Bridesmaids’ is a great comedy about the ways friends drift away from each other
Bridesmaids begins with Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) in the roughest patch of her life. Her bakery went under during the recession, and she’s barely staying afloat working at a jewelry store.
She gets a reprieve from her daily struggles from her lifelong bestie Lillian (Maya Rudolph), who asks Annie to be her maid of honor at her upcoming wedding. She meets up with her fellow bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper). But plans quickly get derailed by a disastrous trip to a Brazilian steak restaurant and other hijinks.
The movie is full of iconic gross-out scenes and uncredited cameos. But Bridesmaids is memorable because the jokes are underpinned by the drama of two best friends disconnecting from each other. Lillian is doing much better financially than Annie. The film’s script, which Wiig wrote with Annie Mumolo, explores how money affects relationships in a smart and hilarious way.
In addition to being a mainstream hit, Bridesmaids was one of the few comedies to get recognized at the Oscars. It received two nominations for Best Original Screenplay for Wiig and Mumolo and Best Supporting Actress for McCarthy.
Kaling was disappointed to lose out on ‘Bridesmaids’ to Maya Rudolph
Most movie characters have multiple actors running for the role, and Kaling drew the short straw when it came to casting Bridesmaids. She auditioned to play Lillian in the movie. She took the rejection hard when Rudolph won the race because she was excited about the project.
“I practiced it so much and was so into it, and I loved that whole cast,” Kaling said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live in 2014. (The video is no longer available, but it was summarized on E! Online.) “That was one that was a heartbreaker.”
Other prominent actors also lost out on roles in Bridesmaids. According to Yardbarker, Greta Gerwig, Busy Phillips, and Judy Greer auditioned for unspecified roles. Byrne initially read for the part of Lillian before she was chosen to play Helen.
Rebel Wilson tried out for the Megan character. Even though Apatow and director Paul Feig gave the role to McCarthy, she impressed them so much in her audition that they cast her as Brynn, one of Annie’s off-putting roommates.
Kaling continues to put out notable work
Kaling’s done just fine without appearing in Bridesmaids. She’s created or co-created five shows since leaving The Office, including The Mindy Project, Champions, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Never Have I Ever, and The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Kaling has also appeared in many prominent projects such as Inside Out, A Wrinkle in Time, Ocean’s 8, and The Morning Show.
