Overview

• During his July 24 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Steve Buscemi shared stories of high-profile audition rejections from his early career.
• He described rehearsing diligently for Barry Levinson’s 1987 film Tin Men only to receive a note on his performance and then be passed over for the part.
• Buscemi recalled meeting Mike Nichols and casting director Juliet Taylor for Biloxi Blues, impressing them in the audition before revealing he was unavailable for shooting.
• His anecdotes underscore how unpredictable casting outcomes can derail even well-prepared actors in Hollywood’s audition process.
• Since those early setbacks, Buscemi has achieved acclaim in films such as Reservoir Dogs, Fargo and The Big Lebowski and now stars in Netflix’s Wednesday.