Former Nickelodeon star Jamie Lynn Spears revealed she auditioned for a role in Twilight but had doubts about her potential success. Spears, best known for her role in Zoey 101, was skeptical about a vampire film and felt that people would not be interested. Although it is unclear whether Spears tried out for the role, her pregnancy and doubts about the film’s success may have made her participation impossible.
Former Nickelodeon star Jamie Lynn Spears revealed she unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in the popular vampire romance film Twilight, but was skeptical about her chances of success. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight was released in November 2008 and was a box office hit, grossing over $400 million on a production budget of approximately $37 million. The film spawned three financially successful sequels and brought fame to its lead actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Meanwhile, Spears rose to fame playing Zoey Brooks on the sitcom Zoey 101 from 2005 to 2008.
In a recent interview with Variety (which took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike), Spears talked about several moments in her career, including her pregnancy, hiatus from Hollywood, and returning to her role as Zoey in the upcoming comedy-drama sequel Zoey 102. During the interview, the 32-year-old also revealed how she read several scripts including Twilight when the show ended, which she never thought would become such a hit. Spears remembers reading the script and wondering who would be interested in a vampire film. Read his full quote below:
“I read for Twilight. This was before the vampires really made their mark. Now we all love watching vampire stories, but literally I was like, “Vampire? Are you kidding?”. I remember reading it and thinking, “Who would watch these vampires?” Boy, was I wrong.”
As Spears did not specify the role she was seeking, based on her age and status as a sitcom star (and the younger sister of pop icon Britney Spears) at the time, it is likely that it was a lead role and may even have been the lead role of Bella, played by Stewart. Twilight became a huge success, turning many of its actors into household names, so it’s unclear how Spears would have performed in the film and whether her casting could have changed some creative decisions or casting choices.
It should also be noted that Spears’ pregnancy at age 16 in 2007 caused her to take a break from acting after Zoey 101 ended, so it’s unclear if she could have played any sort of role in Twilight. This, coupled with the fact that the Sweet Magnolias actress had doubts about the film’s success, suggests that it was not a realistic role for her.
The smashing success of Twilight shows that choosing the right roles and projects can be a difficult task, especially for budding youngsters. It’s hard to know what will be a hit and what won’t, and even winning the role doesn’t guarantee anything: Even Jennifer Lawrence’s audition for Twilight was an instant failure. However, like many of the actors who auditioned for roles in Twilight, Spears’ career could have been different had she gotten the role.