The original “Baywatch” served as a springboard to superstardom for some of its cast members, but plenty of rising stars were considered for a role and never jogged across a beach in slow motion while wearing a red swimsuit.
One of them was Neve Campbell, best known for playing Sidney Prescott, the “Scream” franchise’s most enduring final girl. Another was Sandra Bullock, who eventually went on to take home the best actress Oscar for 2009’s “The Blind Side.”
According to Esquire‘s March 2012 “‘Baywatch’: An Oral History,” thousands auditioned for a shot to grace the screen in one of the most-watched shows in television history.
“Neve Campbell came in, but she wasn’t right for it, physically,” casting director Susan Glickman told the outlet. “Sandra Bullock definitely was scheduled to come in, but I think she passed on it before she actually came in.
“A lot of the good actresses just weren’t right for ‘Baywatch,'” she added.
Sandra Bullock was reportedly considered for C.J. and Neve Campbell suspects she was too pale…
If casting had gone a completely different direction, C.J. Parker might not have been a blonde bombshell at all. According to legend, Sandra Bullock and a former “American Idol” judge were considered for the role played by Pamela Anderson.
“Sandra Bullock … was not quite right, and poor Paula Abdul was a little too short.” Conde Nast’s Mark Ellwood told Hoda Kotb during a 2015 segment of “Who Knew?” on “Today.”
Campbell — who auditioned for an unspecified role — thinks she was rejected for what you could say is a skin trait she has in common with her “Scream” nemesis, Ghostface. The “Party of Five” star opened up during a 2022 segment of “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“I definitely auditioned for ‘Baywatch’ and it’s very likely that my … paleness [laughs] might’ve had something to do with it, but I don’t know if that’s the very reason,” she said to Eisen.
