Beloved Lost Star Got Cast as Gambit Before Channing Tatum & Taylor Kitsch

Long before Channing Tatum finally brought the Cajun card-slinger to life, another major star was cast as Gambit in X-Men. The winding road to bringing Remy LeBeau to the big screen is filled with near-misses, and one of the biggest involved Lost heartthrob Josh Holloway.

Josh Holloway almost played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The story of Holloway’s missed opportunity comes directly from the actor himself. Speaking at a Fan Expo Portland panel moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt, Holloway recalled how close he came to joining the X-Men universe. He revealed that he not only tested for the part but officially won it after a chemistry read with franchise star Hugh Jackman.

“Well Gambit was one. As a matter of fact, I read with Hugh Jackman and got the part. They hugged me, said, ‘You’re it! I’ll see you on set,’” Holloway told the audience. However, the celebration was short-lived. “By the end of that evening, the studio head had called and said, ‘We want someone 10 years younger.’ So they got Taylor Kitsch. Which, I wonder if he could come back? Who knows, but thank you. I learned the card tricks and everything.”

The role ultimately went to Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch for the 2009 film. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was critically panned, earning a 37% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Kitsch’s take on Gambit failed to connect with audiences, leaving the character dormant for over a decade. Until Channing Tatum took up the character in Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024.

Since that near-miss, Holloway has stayed busy. He recently headlined HBO Max’s crime thriller Duster, reuniting with J.J. Abrams, and appeared in Season 3 of Yellowstone. He also found genre success with Colony and made a playful cameo on Peacock’s The Paper. Next, Holloway is set to star in One Second After.

Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on SuperHeroHype.com.