Why This Actor Was Turned Down For A Role In 'Heathers'

“Heathers” came out in 1988 and critics adored it, particularly for its lovable cast of comedically dark actors. But the cast could have been a little bit different, according to screenwriter Daniel Waters.

While Waters was promoting the 30th anniversary Blu-ray release of “Heathers,” he was interviewed by Yahoo Entertainment on some behind the scenes facts. One thing that was discussed was some alternative casting options that never happened.

Jason Dean, otherwise known as “J.D.,” is played by none other than Christian Slater. However, Waters explains that someone else could have nabbed the role, if not for their “alright” audition.

"We did a reading of the script, and we asked one of our actress friends, who was going to read one of the roles, 'We can't find anyone for the role of J.D., can you bring someone from your acting class?'"

The man who came in for the audition was a “good looking guy with a laconic drawl,” but was notably young and blemished. While his audition wasn’t bad, it didn’t stand out as much as Slater’s did. Waters recalled that the experience was one he remembered well because, following the audition, the pimple-faced man approached him and said: “Hey man, I know I'm not anybody, but for what it's worth, that's brilliant."

This became an inside joke between Waters and his friends. He didn’t remember the young man’s name so he simply never referred to him as anything other than the man who auditioned for “Heathers.”

Flash-forward a few years later and “Heathers” director Michael Lehman bumped into Academy Award winner and heart-throb Brad Pitt one day, who sparked up a conversation. According to Pitt, they had crossed paths before, when he auditioned for the role of J.D. in “Heathers.” As it turns out, Pitt was that pimple-faced kid Lehman and Waters had joked about for decades.