Evan Peters and Noah Centineo could have starred on Teen Wolf. Loosely based on the 1985 movie of the same name, Teen Wolf premiered on MTV in June 2011. The supernatural drama centered on Scott McCall, (Tyler Posey), a young werewolf who defends his California town from dangerous forces, with the help of his friends.
One of Scott’s important friends, and indeed his closest companion, was Stiles Stilinski. The character was portrayed by Dylan O’Brien, and coming into the audition for the pivotal part, O’Brien didn’t have a lengthy list of credits to his name and only offered a few links from his YouTube channel to showcase his abilities. Still, he managed to beat out several hopefuls to play one of Teen Wolf’s most memorable characters. To celebrate a decade since the debut of Teen Wolf, series creator Jeff Davis has revealed who else tried out for the drama.
Speaking with E! Online for the occasion, Davis shed light on some of the secrets behind the show’s casting. Most notably, it was revealed that American Horror Story alum Evan Peters had auditioned for Stiles. It was also noted that Noah Centineo, who would go on to have his breakout performance in To All the Boys I Loved Before, tried out four times in the hopes of playing an unspecified character. Cameron Dallas, a YouTuber and actor, was another name among the many auditioners.
Given that O’Brien was a huge factor in the success of Teen Wolf, both in the eyes of fans and critics, it would have been interesting to see what Peters could have done with the character. There’s no question Peters could have tapped into the darkness that Stiles experiences in a season 3 arc, when he becomes possessed by the Nogitsune. But so much of what made Teen Wolf work, particularly in its earlier and more acclaimed seasons, was how well O’Brien took the archetype of a nebbish best friend and made it into his own by excelling at both comedic and dramatic scenes. Davis notes while looking back at the MTV series that the relationship between Stiles and Scott was the heart of the MTV show. Perhaps that dynamic wouldn’t have worked as well without the bond between O’Brien and Posey, as the duo had a natural sort of chemistry and even lived together for a time.
And, for his part, Peters has fared quite well. Only a year after Teen Wolf debuted, Peters became a core cast member on American Horror Story and he’s played a variety of different characters on the anthology. More recently, the actor has garnered widespread praise for his performances in WandaVision and Mare of Easttown. There’s a certain amount of intrigue involved in potential castings which never materialize. But, in this case, it’s safe to say that things worked out for both Peters and O’Brien in the long run. The same is true for Centineo, who emerged more recently, though he’s quickly established himself as one of Hollywood’s rising performers.
Source: E! Online