Rahul Kohli auditioned for the role of Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, in the upcoming Fantastic Four film but lost the part to Pedro Pascal, the Indian-origin English actor revealed in the latest episode of the Salaam Nerds podcast.

Reflecting on his audition experience, Kohli said, “Yeah, I don’t know if I'm allowed to talk about it, but I didn’t get it — that is the important thing.”

The Midnight Mass actor also shared the emotional turmoil he had to go through while auditioning for such high-profile roles. “On bad days, It's a reminder that you’re not the guy. You’re not there. These are the roles you’ll never get. But on good days, I see the Constantine. It will flare up once and again. And, I love all of them. On good days, you’re like, ‘Man, I’m wanted!’ People really want to see. You’re the guy that people will shout out for anything,” Kohli said in the podcast.

Kohli first gained prominence for his role in The CW's iZombie series based on DC Comics. He has since appeared in other comic book adaptations like Supergirl and Harley Quinn. He has also worked in Netflix’s acclaimed series such as The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher.

In addition to Pascal, the cast of Fantastic Four includes Vanessa Kirby as Sue, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, Econ Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, Julia Garner as Silver Surfer, alongside Paul Walter-Hauser, John Malkovich, Ralph Ineson, and Natasha Lyonne.

Directed by Matt Shakman, the highly-anticipated superhero movie is scheduled for release on July 25, 2025.