Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. And when you hear stories of A-list actors that were passed up for famous roles early in their careers, many people just think about how much better the film would have been with said actor. So, when Jonah Hill reveals that David Fincher passed on him for a supporting role in “The Social Network,” your immediate reaction is to think the director messed up. Hill would probably agree, as he still wishes he got the call to be in the film.
In an interview with the Bill Simmons Podcast, Jonah Hill talks his upcoming directorial debut “mid90s,” but also took the time to tell the story of Fincher passing on him for Justin Timberlake’s role in ‘Social Network.’ For those that don’t remember, Timberlake starred as Napster founder Sean Parker, who would go on to seemingly become the driving force in making Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg turn into a ruthless businessman.
“Low-key, David Fincher, or high-key, David Fincher didn’t want me in ‘Social Network.’ It was between me and Justin Timberlake for that part… Obviously [Fincher’s] the man, but he was not having me. The studio wanted me, I think, and then Justin Timberlake was amazing in it,” reveals Hill.
“’Social Network’ is the one that I was actually like years later was like, ‘Fuck, like I’m so bummed,’” he added.
Though it seems crazy in hindsight that Fincher would pass on Hill for the role, as the actor would have no-doubt killed it, it makes sense when you take everything into consideration. While Hill is known now as a serious actor with two Academy Award nominations under his belt, back in 2010, when ‘Social Network’ hit theaters, Hill’s biggest accomplishment was still “Superbad” two years prior. It wasn’t until “Moneyball” in 2011 that the world realized that Hill could do some serious dramatic work.
READ MORE: Jonah Hill Says Spike Jonze Helped Shape The Story Of ‘mid90s’
So, yeah, Hill would have been awesome delivering that Aaron Sorkin script, but you can’t blame Fincher for going with Timberlake, who provided star power and acting chops. And as he said, Timberlake actually did pretty well in the role anyway.
But still, what if?