Rocker Neil Diamond was so desperate to ditch his squeaky-clean image, he once auditioned to play troubled comedian Lenny Bruce.
Diamond was desperate to land the lead role in the 1974 drama Lenny and reportedly performed a successful screen test in which he "transformed" into the controversial funnyman.
David Wild, author of Diamond's biography He Is... I Say, tells gossip column Page Six: "In just a few seconds, he somehow transformed himself into a believable dirty-mouthed, Constitution-defending comedian."
The part ultimately went to Dustin Hoffman, who scored a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of the comic.
WENN