Ulterior Motives
John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf were originally cast with an ulterior motive. Producers wanted Roseanne to be surrounded with a strong supporting cast as she had never acted before. They felt having experienced professionals for her to rely on would give her a crash course in acting. Moreover Barr and Goodman had perfect chemistry and were bickering like a married couple from their very first reading together.
Ulterior Motives
Macaulay Culkin Auditioned for the Part of D.J.
Two years before Macaulay Culkin landed his ground breaking role in Home Alone, he auditioned for the role of D.J.. However the role went to Michael Fishman instead, he had replaced Sal Barone from the pilot episode. Barone not only hit a growth spurt but also didn’t get along with his sister Darlene, Sara Gilbert. Barr told Entertainment Weekly, “I wanted Michael Fishman because he looked like my family and he was a little Russian boy. He was so not like all the other little Hollywood bastards.” Fishman said, “The network wanted one person, the production company wanted another person, and she wanted me. In many ways, I’m one of the first battles she won.”
Macaulay Culkin Auditioned for the Part of D.J.