Taylor Swift Passed Up for 'Les Miserables' Role: Hear the Girl Who Beat Her

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed as though we would be seeing both Amanda Seyfried and Taylor Swift in the upcoming movie adaptation of "Les Miserables," from "The King's Speech" director Tom Hooper. Now it's looking as though Seyfried will be in, but Swift won't be.

Swift was rumored to be the frontrunner for the role of Eponine, and had even beat out other starlets like Lea Michele of "Glee" and Scarlett Johansson for it. With Hooper noting that the vocals will be recorded on set during shooting, as opposed to in a studio, the vocal abilities of the performers are especially important.

That (combined with the fact that these performers also have to act) may have been the deciding factor in passing on Swift for the role. According to Vulture, Swift is out of the production and the role of Eponine has gone instead to a young British stage actress by the name of Samantha Barks.

That means Barks will be joining the star-studded cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Seyfried.

For a preview of how Barks will sound in the role, here's a video of her performing "On My Own" for the 25th anniversary of "Les Miserables":