If you’ve been watching 13 Reasons Why, you’ve probably already come to associate the actors with their respective characters. You see these lovely youngsters as Alex, Bryce, Justin, Clay, Zach, Sheri, Courtney, Jessica and most importantly, Hannah. But what if Hannah wasn’t played by Katherine Langford? What if, instead, she was played by Alisha Boe, who we now know as Jessica?
I know, I’ll give you a second to process that.
Believe it or not, it totally could’ve happened. Alisha Boe, who has beautifully brought the confused and multidimensional Jessica to life on the small screen, originally auditioned for the role of Hannah on the hit Netflix series. “I was so surprised when I booked 13 Reasons Why, because I originally auditioned for Hannah and was like, ‘There is no way I am going to book a lead on the show,'” she recently told Seventeen,
Boe told the publication that the book had been one of her favorites since she first read it at the age of 14.
When the opportunity came up to audition for Jessica, she says she felt “disconnected” from the role, as Jessica was meant to be a pretty, popular girl—and having been told “no” to so many of those kind of roles before, she believed that she wasn’t capable of playing her. “But since Brian [Yorkey, who adapted to book for TV] and all of them are so inclusive with their casting, they didn’t even think about it. It was my first time being able to be separated from being someone’s best friend, or being the butt of the joke, or an accessory. It was a dream come true for me. I didn’t expect it to come that fast.”
What Katherine Langford did with Hannah was truly special and while I believe that Alisha Boe could have definitely done a fantastic job as the lead role, she brings depth and a relatable nature to Jessica that has made Jessica who she is on screen. Without Boe in the role, Jessica would be different. Her story is difficult and one that more girls than we realize find themselves identifying with. Boe grounds that struggle and creates something that is unique to her.
IMO, everyone was cast perfectly in this series. Here’s hoping this will catapult Alisha Boe to the superstardom that she is so obviously destined for!