Lonely boy Dan Humphrey may not have been Penn Badgley's first role, but it was definitely the one that put him on the map. Of course, he wasn't the only actor up for the part and, according to casting director David Rapaport, he wasn't the first pick, either. In an April 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rapaport admitted that Alden Ehrenreich from Solo: A Star Wars Story was initially his top choice. "Before Penn was involved, I desperately wanted Alden Ehrenreich to play Dan," he said. However, the actor ultimately lost the part because producers decided he was too short compared to costar Blake Lively.