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.
What the actual fuck? @maebirdwing is talented as hell, and JUST proved she can carry a film. Smh. https://t.co/Njrsb7Gb1Z
— Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) April 28, 2015
Ah Hollywood, where Mae Whitman is apparently not hot enough to play Mae Whitman…
— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) April 29, 2015
We live in a world where talented, gorgeous Mae Whitman isn't "hot" enough. Hollywood is gross.
— Carrie Raisler (@TVandDinners) April 29, 2015
Independence 2 recasting Mae Whitman with a lesser known but more "conventionally pretty" actress is pretty gross.http://t.co/sKELpMh2lS
— Kayleigh Donaldson (@Ceilidhann) April 29, 2015
Come on guys, it's not like that child actress from Independence Day grew into a talented, bankable young–wait, that was Mae Whitman?! WTF?
— Zack Stentz (@MuseZack) April 29, 2015