Jessica Biel 'auditioned for Mila Kunis's Friends with Benefits role'

Jessica Biel auditioned for the lead role in Friends with Benefits, but was passed over in favour of Mila Kunis.

David Newman, one of Friends with Benefits' screenwriters, revealed at the movie's New York City premiere on Monday that Biel had been an early candidate to star opposite then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake.

He added to the New York Post's Page Six: "She was actually a huge fan of the project and screen-tested for it years ago."

Newman explained that he had no idea why Biel was rejected by director Will Gluck, but said that he is glad that Kunis was eventually cast as the movie's female lead because she "was fated for the role".

Biel and Timberlake ended their near four-year romance in March, with the 'Rock Your Body' singer later referring to his former girlfriend as the "most significant" person in his life.

Friends with Benefits stars Timberlake and Kunis have accepted invitations to attend two separate Marine Corps Balls.

Friends with Benefits opens in theaters in the US on July 22 and in the UK on September 9, while Biel's next movie The Tall Man is expected to be released later this year.

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Watch the trailer for Friends with Benefits below: