Summary
Although 2003’sFreaky Fridayis a cult classic, the Disney body swap comedy originally offered a major role to Tom Selleck. Directed by Mark Waters,Freaky Fridaywas a huge hit for its stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Earning over $160 million on a budget of only $26 million,Freaky Fridaypaved the way for Lohan and Waters to make teen movie history a year later when the pair reunited onMean Girls.Freaky Friday’s adaptation of Mary Rodgers’ classic novel was hugely popular andits sequel,Freaky Friday 2, will be released in 2025.
BeforeFreaky Fridaybecame a cult classic, the movie endured a surprisingly lengthy production process filled with snags. Producer Andrew Gunn wanted the original movie’s young star Jodie Foster to return as the new movie’s mom, but Foster felt that this stunt casting would detract from the remake. Screen legend Annette Bening was then cast alongsideBuffy the Vampire Slayersupporting star Michelle Trachtenberg, but both actors eventually left the project due to scheduling conflicts. The longwait forFreaky Friday’s sequelis not surprising considering how troubled the original movie’s production was, with another major star also dropping out.
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Tom Selleck Quit Freaky Friday Because Annette Bening Dropped Out
The Blue Bloods Star Was More Interested In Working With Bening Than In Freaky Friday
According toThe Hollywood Reporter’s oral history of the remake,Freaky Fridayoriginally cast Tom Selleck as Ryan, the fiancé of Curtis’ character Tess. Selleck was cast around the same time as Bening and, per Waters' recollection, theMagnum PIstar dropped out of the project because he was most invested in the chance to work with Bening. There was no bad blood between the movie’s creators and its erstwhile star since Selleck was straightforward and honest about his reasoning. Meanwhile, recasting Bening and Trachtenberg meantFreaky Friday’s creators had plenty of time to search for a new Ryan too.
The perfect candidate was eventually found inNCISstar Mark Harmon. Strangely, both Selleck and Harmon would go on to become two of the biggest stars in TV procedurals decades later, thanks toBlue BloodsandNCISrespectively. Harmon had been a TV mainstay for years by the timeFreaky Fridayarrived and was as well known for his role inChicago Hopeas Selleck was forMagnum PI. Harmon was arguably a better fit for the part, as he fitthe cast ofFreak Fridayperfectlyand his romance with Tess gave the movie a sweet subplot.
Why Mark Harmon Was The Perfect Replacement For Tom Selleck
Harmon was a perfect candidate for Selleck’s replacement since the actor already had experience starring in teen comedies. In 1987, Harmon played the lead role inSummer School, a goofy teen comedy wherein a slacker physical education teacher is forced to run the titular institution and chaos ensues. Although Selleck had plenty of experience as a comedic supporting man thanks toThree Men and A Baby,Summer Schoolproved Harmon was ideal for the role of a befuddled but well-meaning hero in a teen movie. Thus,Freaky Fridayupgraded its cast when the remake recast Tom Selleck’s original Ryan.
