Nicholas Kallsen Dies At 48 — Actor Almost Nabbed ‘Thelma And Louise’ Role That Launched Brad Pitt
In 1991, according to Hollywood legend, a young actor named Nicholas Kallsen slept in for his audition for a film called Thelma and Louise. The part went instead to Brad Pitt and it was his breakout role. Shortly afterward, Kallsen stopped making movies. Earlier this month, he died of drug overdose in Thailand.
He was 48.
Nicholas was roommate to the Hollywood A-lister until he hit it big. He and Pitt starred in a Fox series called Glory Days, which followed high school grads in the real world, but it only lasted six episodes, Contact Music reported.
After hearing on Facebook that Kallsen had died, friend Allanby Singleton-Gree remembered that she “didn’t even know who Brad Pitt was” at the time, the Daily Mail added.
Fate led the two actors down different paths. Nicholas was in a Levi 501 commercial in 1988 and had a small role in 1989’s Say Anything(simply as “Nose-Setter”), according to Us Weekly. Nicholas was also in a film called The Seventh Coin in 1993. It was his last role.
Page Six described the actor as a “Manhattan preppie;” Nicholas went to the prestigious Browning school, which names John D. Rockefeller Jr., Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Howard Dean, and Jamie Dimon as former students.
Though little is known about Kallsen, who has died so young, a few heartfelt tributes on social media prove that even though he didn’t grace the silver screen, he still made an impression on the people in his life.
The announcement that Kallsen had died was first posted last week on Facebook by restaurateur and friend Michael Dorrian.
“R.I.P. My old friend. Nick Kallsen. Sadly passed away earlier this month. Will always remember the good times, a big part of my past has gone and breaks my heart.”
“Oh dear God, NO!!!! Poor Nick! He was so sweet,” a fellow Browning student responded. “Our own UES James Dean with that great old bike of his. I am so saddened to hear this.”
One pal posted a link to one of Nicholas Kallsen’s acting credits — the 1988 commercial.
[Photo Courtesy Us Weekly Twitter]
