Christian is a young poet who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, Satine, in the film. He's romantic, creative, and extremely emotional, so it would take an actor of the highest caliber to portray him. Ewan McGregor did an outstanding job, and the movie proved he could be more than merely Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it's intriguing to think of what might have been.
Director Baz Luhrmann, while promoting his most recent film "Elvis" on the "Happy, Sad, Confused" podcast, spoke about the process of getting Christian just right (via The Playlist). Through this, he revealed what other actors he had in mind when deciding who to cast for the part. Luhrmann explained, "When I think about Jake Gyllenhaal, for example, who was very close, very young for the role, but he can really sing. He's a really great musical artist."
But Gyllenhaal wasn't alone in the hunt to land the role of Christian. It turns out his future "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Heath Ledger was also considered. And while Luhrmann has the audition footage floating around there somewhere, don't expect to see it anytime soon. He went on to say, "I have that footage, you know, [but] I don't think I'll ever release it." Of course, neither actor absolutely needed the role. They both went on to have exemplary careers, and in Ledger's case, it was a career cut off far too soon.
