When a new TV show gets to the casting stage, the decisions made could make a huge difference to how the finished product ends up. For instance, could you imagine what the character of Joey would be like if he wasn't played by Matt Le Blanc? It's hard to separate the characters we adore from the actors that played them, even when they came close to being played by someone else.

For people of a certain age, Dawson's Creek was a major part of the weekly television cycle, with those characters ingrained into their minds. Now that the series has hit its 20th anniversary, we were wondering which actors almost landed those iconic roles...

Kevin Williamson, the show's creator, said that Heigl gave a "great audition" to play Jen Lindsay, but he soon changed his mind once he met with Michelle Williams.

"I really loved Selma until, of course, I got the infamous video tape from the basement of the Holmes family in Toledo, Ohio," William said of Katie's audition tape. "When that video showed up, it changed my whole life."

Hamm was set to play Dawson Leery's father, Mitch, according to the Mad Men actor.

James Van Der Beek recalled how they both auditioned to play Dawson, culminating in a very awkward flight. "We were both testing for the same role and they sat us next to each other on the plane," he later said.

The Modern Family star auditioned for the role of Dawson as well, as revealed in this Instagram post of the pair.

While Dawson is a good shout, we don't actually know what part the Sons of Anarchy actor auditioned for. While he didn't get the job, he did meet his (now ex-) wife Katharine Towne at the audition.

Before getting the part of Seth in The O.C., the actor said he auditioned for a variety of different shows. "I can't remember specifically, but some very early ones - the Power Rangers maybe, definitely Dawson's Creek," Brody said. "I read with Scott Speedman and I didn't get it."

While we all know Jackson as the man who played Pacey Witter in the show, he actually went for Dawson in the audition, but the network weren't having it despite the creator wanting him for the role.

When you see how things could have gone, it's hard to imagine what some of our other TV shows would have looked like without the iconic actors and actresses that made the role their own.

But even the best person for the job isn't always the first picked, as you can see in this list - which shows what the cast of Game of Thrones would have looked like if the intended actors had taken the roles.

When a new TV show gets to the casting stage, the decisions made could make a huge difference to how the finished product ends up. For instance, could you imagine what the character of Joey would be like if he wasn't played by Matt Le Blanc? It's hard to separate the characters we adore from the actors that played them, even when they came close to being played by someone else.

For people of a certain age, Dawson's Creek was a major part of the weekly television cycle, with those characters ingrained into their minds. Now that the series has hit its 20th anniversary, we were wondering which actors almost landed those iconic roles...

Kevin Williamson, the show's creator, said that Heigl gave a "great audition" to play Jen Lindsay, but he soon changed his mind once he met with Michelle Williams.

"I really loved Selma until, of course, I got the infamous video tape from the basement of the Holmes family in Toledo, Ohio," William said of Katie's audition tape. "When that video showed up, it changed my whole life."

Hamm was set to play Dawson Leery's father, Mitch, according to the Mad Men actor.

James Van Der Beek recalled how they both auditioned to play Dawson, culminating in a very awkward flight. "We were both testing for the same role and they sat us next to each other on the plane," he later said.

The Modern Family star auditioned for the role of Dawson as well, as revealed in this Instagram post of the pair.

While Dawson is a good shout, we don't actually know what part the Sons of Anarchy actor auditioned for. While he didn't get the job, he did meet his (now ex-) wife Katharine Towne at the audition.

Before getting the part of Seth in The O.C., the actor said he auditioned for a variety of different shows. "I can't remember specifically, but some very early ones - the Power Rangers maybe, definitely Dawson's Creek," Brody said. "I read with Scott Speedman and I didn't get it."

While we all know Jackson as the man who played Pacey Witter in the show, he actually went for Dawson in the audition, but the network weren't having it despite the creator wanting him for the role.

When you see how things could have gone, it's hard to imagine what some of our other TV shows would have looked like without the iconic actors and actresses that made the role their own.

But even the best person for the job isn't always the first picked, as you can see in this list - which shows what the cast of Game of Thrones would have looked like if the intended actors had taken the roles.