Dylan O'Brien recalls 'really awful' audition for 'Frozen 2'

By: Shawn
Dylan O'Brien reflects on his audition for Frozen 2, which did not go as planned.

The Saturday Night Live actor recently appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers, where he was asked about his unsuccessful audition for the 2019 animated sequel, in which Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel reprise their roles as sisters Anna and Elsa, respectively.

Dylan O'Brien.
Sonia Recchia/Getty Images

O'Brien stated that he did not go into the audition with high expectations of landing the job, "because I knew I probably wasn't going to get it." The actor did not reveal which character he auditioned for.

"They're looking for multitalented, multi-hyphenate people who can act and sing," he explained to Seth Meyers about the musical. "And I didn't check, to be honest, probably either."

The Teen Wolf alum admitted he "can't sing," but chose to apply since he doesn't "always feel like a real actor." Meyers wondered how long it took the casting director to understand singing wasn't one of O'Brien's strong suits.

"This poor woman," the actor remarked. "I remember, actually — this is a specific detail — she asked me, painfully, if I could get to the chorus because she needed to see if I had a certain range." O'Brien admitted that he was "swimming in the first verse a little bit," but "went higher," per the woman's request, and "it was really bad."

"I knew. She knew. It's fine," he said, but Meyers said, "Did she know you knew?"

"I believe so, because when she said, 'Okay, okay'..." She gave two 'okays.' "I'll never forget it," the Maze Runner actor reflected. "She then said, 'Thank you for coming in. I believe we'd definitely need a bit of a stronger singer," and I was already nodding, like, 'Yeah, I know.' I was like, 'Thanks for having me.'"

O'Brien concluded that the audition was a pleasant experience. "I honestly only remember it fondly," he remarked, before joking with Meyers, "And then I'm glad that's what they chose for you to ask me about." 

"We wanted you to find closure. Don't you see, Dylan?" The host commented, to which the actor said, "It's actually made me comfortable. "I am serious!"

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