Watching the 2001 cult classic Zoolander, it's hard to imagine anyone aside from Owen Wilson being “so hot right now.” But Wilson wasn't always a shoo-in for the role of super hip model Hansel and in a new interview with Esquire celebrating the 20th anniversary of the film, Ben Stiller revealed a surprising big-name actor who almost took the part instead.
Stiller told Esquire that although Wilson was his first choice for the role, it didn't look like he was available to shoot, which meant that Stiller had to hold auditions. And none of those auditions were particularly memorable — save for one.
“The only one that I remember clearly was a young Jake Gyllenhaal doing this wide-eyed version of Hansel that was really funny,” admitted Stiller.
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