When Ryan Gosling Bombed An Audition For This Popular 2000s TV Show: “It Wasn’t The Right Fit”

Ryan Gosling is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s evergreen heartthrobs. But did you know he once failed an audition for a popular TV show?

- July 27, 2025 | 9:46 AM IST

Here’s Which Popular 2000s TV Show Ryan Gosling Auditioned For! — Which Popular 2000s TV Show Did Ryan Gosling Audition For?(Photo Credit –Facebook)

Today, Ryan Gosling is a two-time Oscar nominee and a certified heartthrob thanks to La La Land and Barbie. But a few decades back, he was just another young actor hustling through TV auditions in hopes of a big break.

It turns out that not all of his tryouts were home runs. In fact, one casting experience left him out in the cold. Long before he won over the world with The Notebook, Gosling failed to impress the team behind Gilmore Girls. Yes, that cozy Stars Hollow show turned him down, and the story behind it is as awkward as it is surprising.

Ryan Gosling’s Gilmore Girls Audition ‘Fell Short’

In the early 2000s, Ryan Gosling was already gaining prominence in casting rooms. Not quite a household name, but someone to keep an eye on. Casting director Jami Rudofsky recalled seeing him during auditions for another fierce teen series. She was floored. “It was one of the most amazing auditions I’ve ever seen,” she said years later at the Gilmore Girls Fan Festival in 2016, Buzzfeed reported.

So when Gilmore Girls began searching for someone to play a football player-type character, Rudofsky jumped at the chance to bring him in. She pitched him to creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and fellow casting director Mara Casey. “I’m like, Mara, Amy, this guy is a huge star. You guys are going to love him,” she remembered telling them on the Gilmore Guys podcast, per Bustle.

Expectations were sky-high. But when Gosling showed up for the Gilmore Girls audition, his energy didn’t quite match the show’s tone. Rudofsky admitted his performance “kind of fell flat.” Despite her earlier enthusiasm, Sherman-Palladino and Casey weren’t buying it. “They’re like, ‘We don’t get it,’” Rudofsky shared. And in a twist that probably stings in retrospect, that was that.

Ryan Gosling auditioned for Gilmore girls?!:All the BTS secret 🫢 pic.twitter.com/Fn1l3P63uS

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Gilmore Girls Casting Director Said Ryan Gosling Knew He Didn’t Match The Vibe

Looking back, Rudofsky thinks Gosling knew it wasn’t a match. “He doesn’t have the Gilmore Girls vibe, so I don’t think he felt it,” she said. “He knew it wasn’t the right fit.” The actor reportedly came in late and a little off, the kind of off you get when an actor shows up too deep in character. The now 44-year-old didn’t get the gig, and the moment quietly fizzled.

It’s hard to picture now, but Ryan Gosling really once auditioned for a role on Gilmore Girls. Had things gone differently, he might’ve been glimpsed hanging around Doose’s Market or trying to win over Lorelai Gilmore. Instead, just a few years later, he landed The Notebook (2004) and earned critical praise with Half Nelson (2006). So, passing on Gilmore Girls may have cleared the path to his major film career.