Will Arnett has shared one of his most unforgettable audition stories, and it wasn’t just nerves that made it tense.
Appearing on Hot Ones, the Arrested Development star recalled auditioning for Costner’s 1997 film The Postman just a day after being hospitalized for severe dehydration.
“The night before, I’d eaten something bad, and I ended up going to the hospital because I was so dehydrated from being ill,” Arnett explained to host Sean Evans. “And at that point that afternoon going to meet him, that was the furthest I’d been away from the bathroom in like, you know, 14 hours.”
The actor admitted he was terrified during the meeting, not just because he was in front of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but because his body was still recovering.
“I remember getting up there and just meeting him and being a fan of his, and like this was a big deal, and just sweating, and just thinking, ‘This can go really bad right now.’ Yeah, I was meeting Kevin Costner and I legitimately was worried about crapping my pants.”
Arnett didn’t reveal which role he was auditioning for, but it’s clear he didn’t land the part.
The Postman, directed and produced by Costner, went on to star Olivia Williams, Will Patton, Tom Petty, Peggy Lipton, and Larenz Tate.
Though the audition was a disaster, Arnett eventually found his breakthrough years later with Arrested Development in 2003.
