13 Reasons Why: 10 Secrets You Didn’t Know About The Cast

13 Reasons Why might have ended but its impact on society will remain for quite a while. The series triggered both praise and controversy for the manner in which it covered topics such as suicide, bullying, and sexual assault. Interestingly, the Netflix hit series was never meant to be a series at all.

The adaptation was meant to be a film by Universal Pictures starring Selena Gomez as Hannah Baker. That idea was shelved and instead, Netflix commissioned a limited series. But again, what was meant to be ‘limited’ ended up being extended for three more seasons, thus getting viewers even more attached to the characters – and the incredible cast!

10 Christian Navarro Only Learned How To Drive After Being Cast

Christian Navarro—who portrays Clay’s friend Tony Padilla—drives a 1968 Ford Mustang for most of the series. Interestingly, Navarro didn’t know how to drive when he was offered the role of Tony.

During an interview with Popsugar, Navarro revealed that the producers paid for his driving lessons as well as his license. He said: “I landed, they took me to a driving lesson, and I said, ‘You guys made a mistake here.’ But they were very generous and they really wanted me for the role. They got me driving lessons and my license, and now I’m a licensed California driver, much to my dad’s horror!”

9 Katherine Langford Auditioned Via Skype

Langford gave an outstanding performance as Hannah Baker. Many viewers aren’t aware that she couldn’t make it to the auditions because she was nowhere near America. The actress is from Perth, Australia. Luckily, the producers allowed her to audition via Skype. She got the part and had to move to the US for six months.

She told W Magazine Langford that the producers kept calling her back and re-auditioning her just to be sure that she was what they were looking for. She was afraid she wouldn’t get the part because she had failed in a couple of other auditions, but luckily, she got the life-changing phone call.

8 Kevin Bacon’s Daughter Is Part Of The Cast

Kevin Bacon became a global superstar after appearing in a string of hit movies in the ’90s and 2000s. And it appears the acting bug roams in the family. Remember Skye? That’s Kevin Bacon’s daughter.

Her real name is Sosie Bacon. Sosie gives an impressive performance as Skye, a waitress, and barista at Monet’s who also happens to be a former student at Liberty High School. The troubled Skye has a history of depression and suicide attempts but she finds peace when she meets and falls in love with Clay.

7 Dylan Minnette Chose Clay’s Bedroom Posters Himself

Clay’s bedroom is very relatable to every teenager. There are posters everywhere and these were selected by the actor himself.  Showrunner Brian Yorkey agreed to let Minette choose what posters he wanted to be on the bedroom wall.

After being granted freedom, Minette selected posters of his favorite bands such as The Shins, Bon Iver, The Cure, Arcade Fire. The actor told PopSugar, that there are many other celebrities he would have loved to stick on the walls but was limited by the bedroom’s size.

6 Dylan Minnette And Hannah Payne Had Worked Together Before

For some of the cast members, this wasn’t the first show in which they were working together. Hanna Payne, who is best remembered for playing Stephanie, worked together with Minnette in an NBC pilot episode for a show called Save Me. Unfortunately, NBC didn’t pick up the show and the two went their separate ways.

Payne was very excited when she found out she was going to work with Minnette again. She told Seventeen Magazine. “I saw his name on the 13 Reasons Why call sheet, and it was like, oh my goodness, what are the odds? It was great to have a reunion when I signed on.”

5 Some Cast Members Have Matching Tattoos

The cast members of the show are pretty close. Some are so close that they got matching tattoos. Actors Tommy Dorfman, Alisha Boe, and Brandon Flynn decided to get tattoos of semicolons on their wrists after filming the first season. Executive producer and pop star Selena Gomez also did the same.

There is a special meaning behind this specific tattoo. It’s meant to signify victory against depression as well as the ability to overcome any suicidal attempts. Pretty cool!

4 Dylan Minnette Was Michael Scofield

Wentworth Miller is the actor best known for portraying Michael Scofield but Minnette also played the popular character. The 13 Reasons Why star played a younger version of Scofield for five episodes, courtesy of flashback scenes.

However, that’s not the only role the young actor has had in major Hollywood productions. Before starring in 13 Reasons Why he had appeared in a whopping 25 TV shows. Minnette has also starred in 13 feature films to date. For an actor who is only 23-years-old, his CV is quite impressive.

3 Seven Of The Cast Members Lived In The Same Apartment While Filming

Not often do the cast members of a show find themselves living in the same place. But that’s exactly what happened during the production of 13 Reasons Why.

The show was being filmed in San Rafael, California and the cast members were required to relocate there. Miles Heizer, who portrays Alex Standall, told Elle, “None of us lived where we filmed the show, so we all had to move there. And seven of us accidentally moved into the same apartment building.”

2 Katherine Langford Played Tony Stark’s Daughter But Her Scenes Were Cut

Back in 2018, Langford was cast as a teenage version of Tony Stark’s daughter, Morgan, in the highly anticipated Marvel film Avengers: Endgame. Sadly, her scenes were dropped from the final film. Why did this happen?

According to the Russo brothers, the change in actresses had confused test audiences, leading to Langford’s part being dropped. The directors also felt that the teenage version of the character didn’t connect emotionally to the older version of the character. Too bad! Langford has expressed willingness to reprise the role in the future.

1 Dylan Minnette Formed A Band

In 2017, Minnette formed an alternative rock band named “Wallows” together with his pals Braeden LeMasters, and Cole Preston. Minnette and LeMasters met when they were nine and realized they both shared a love for classic rock music. Years later, they decided to form a band with their other friend Cole Preston.

Just a year after forming the band, the three friends signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. They then released their debut studio album, “Nothing Happens,” in 2019. And in 2020, they released an EP titled “Remote.”

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1233 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

More From Philip Etemesi