Was Mae Whitman Replaced In ‘Independence Day 2’ Because She’s Not ‘Hot’ Enough Now?

Earlier this week, reports surfaced that It Follows star Maika Monroe had been chosen to play the female lead in Independence Day 2. She’ll be the love interest for Liam Hemsworth and the daughter of Bill Pullman, who will be reprising his role as the now-former President of the United States, Thomas Whitmore. There’s just one problem with that. In the original Independence Day, the part of President Whitmore’s daughter was played by Mae Whitman (her?), and if what E! Online is suggesting is true — considering that virtually all of the other leads are slated to return — Whitman was passed over for the role for not being “hot” enough.

E! does have a point, too. The original Hollywood Reporter article that announced the casting news reported that Monroe had beaten out other potential “hot girl” leads such as Lucy Boynton, Merritt Patterson, Gabriella Wilde and Britt Robertson. However, there was no mention of Whitman’s name anywhere.

Can we all just stop pretending that Mae Whitman is not an attractive woman? It was bad enough when she was cast as the “Designated Ugly Fat Friend” in that movie DUFF, and now this. Of course, we don’t really know took place behind closed doors that led to the casting decision, but the internet is decidedly not happy.