Casting What-Ifs
Shia LaBeouf declined Zuckerberg; Jonathan Groff nearly played Sean Parker; Aziz Ansari also auditioned; Eisenberg and Timberlake preferred
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:18Read transcript
- Shia LaBeouf turned down Zuckerberg.
- The panel believes Fincher’s take-heavy method would have made LaBeouf a poor fit.
- Jonathan Groff nearly played Sean Parker.
- Groff’s later Fincher work on Mindhunter is connected to the audition history.
- Timberlake’s existing stardom is credited with helping the movie reach a wider audience.
- Ansari reportedly auditioned unsuccessfully for the role played by Minghella; the response is that he was not ready at that stage.