Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s 2005 blockbuster Mr. & Mrs. Smith was the iconic introduction to what we would come to know as Brangelina. However, they very easily could have not starred in the movie together.

The former A-list couple met and fell in love while playing a husband and wife who work as assassins for opposing agencies.

Their movie was such a hit that it sparked a spinoff TV series, which was renewed for a second season earlier this week.

After that, several other stars were considered for the roles of Jane and John before Brad and Angelina were finally cast. The list includes a popular singer, one of Brad‘s exes and so many more of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars.

We decided to revisit the list of stars who could have landed the roles upon learning that the second season of Mr. & Mrs. Smith will have some big cast departures.

Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani is best known for her musical talents. However, she made her acting debut in The Aviator the year before Mr. & Mrs. Smith hit theaters. Since then, she hasn’t landed many acting roles. However, she did appear in Trolls.

It turns out that she was also in the running to play Jane Smith.

“I feel like I almost got it. I went to a bunch [of auditions],” she recalled back in 2016. Gwen added, “[It was] very competitive and I wanted to do it, but I wanted to do music more.”

She referenced her unsuccessful audition again in 2022, saying that Angelina “beat” her for the role.
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp was already a movie star of critical acclaim in 2005. He’d been landing major roles since the ’80s and brought Captain Jack Sparrow to life in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003.

During a 2005 interview, director Doug Liman confirmed that Johnny was in the running. It does not appear that he ever addressed the casting rumors. Interestingly, he went on to star in The Tourist with Angelina years later.

Cate Blanchett

A report from the New York Post suggested that Johnny was being tentatively paired with Cate Blanchett, who had been starring in Hollywood projects since the ’90s and was fresh off her appearance in The Lord of the Rings.

“We really liked Cate Blanchett. Around that time, she’d come out with a [magazine-ad] photo spread where she looked like a spy. But she wasn’t available — she was doing The Aviator,” Doug confirmed.

It does not appear that she has ever commented on the casting. However, she stared in Babel alongside Brad the following year. They reunited again for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Cate has also collaborated with Angelina on Pushing Tin in the ’90s.

Will Smith

Will Smith was also in the running for Brad‘s role at one point. Of course, he was famous for his breakout role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and was a fan-favorite in Men in Black amongst other roles.

“There were some of us who liked one of them a lot more than the other, and some of us in the camp who liked the other one more,” Doug said in regards to Will and Johnny. “I won’t get anyone in trouble, but the end result is we ended up pursuing both.”

However, it doesn’t sound like either actor got very far into the process. What changed? “Then Brad changed his mind and said, I’m interested again. David Fincher [who directed Pitt in Fight Club for Regency, the company that financed Mr. & Mrs.Smith] explained to me, Get used to it. That’s just the nature of the beast making a movie with Brad Pitt.”

Will did work with Angelina on Shark Tale in 2004.

There were plans to cast another specific actress alongside Will…

Catherine Zeta-Jones

The New York Post suggested that Will was being paired with Catherine Zeta-Jones. She entered Hollywood in the ’90s and hit it big in projects such as Chicago and The Mask of Zorro.

Again, Doug confirmed she was in the running, saying: “Somehow Catherine Zeta-Jones’ name came up, but there wasn’t a lot of unanimity about casting her, as there was about Angelina Jolie.”

Brad and Catherine starred in Oceans Twelve in 2004.

Find out who was originally supposed to star in the movie with Brad Pitt…

Nicole Kidman

The first actress associated with Mr. & Mrs. Smith was actually Nicole Kidman. She was set to star in the role alongside Brad. However, she had to back out due to conflicts with The Stepford Wives.

“On their first week of shooting, they were like, We’re [already] two and a half months behind schedule,” Doug recalled about conversations with the team working on Nicole‘s other movie. “And that’s the day we were like, She can’t do our movie. Which really broke my heart, ’cause I knew what was going to happen next: We were gonna lose Brad. And at some point during that process, sure enough, he did say, I’m passing. I was actually out to dinner with my family at some Chinese restaurant [when Pitt bowed out]. I had to face my family and say, The film just fell apart.”

Gwyneth Paltrow

Doug revealed that he had also briefly considered contacting Gwyneth Paltrow, specifically because she and Brad had dated.

“I had been interested in casting Gwyneth Paltrow opposite Brad Pitt,” he admitted. “Because they’re really exes. Think of the spectacle of that. Fireworks could really fly in that situation. Because I’m sure there’s some s— one of them was mad at the other one for. You find out what that baggage is and bring it out at the right moment, with the camera rolling.”

What stopped him? “My producers were like, Look, that’s a great idea. But Brad is a human being. Even if he was game for it, it’s wrong for us to put him in a situation where he’s going to have to relive the demons of a relationship. That’s just a little bit too mad-scientist.”

Last year Gwyneth opened up about her sex life with Brad.

Donald recently revealed the conversation he had with Brad before filming the new Mr. & Mrs. Smith series, which premiered on Prime Video on February 2. If you’re curious, check out the trailer.