It was by design that the lead actors cast in The Blair Witch Project were relatively unknown. While most movies strive to cast the most famous actors possible in their films, The Blair Witch Project was one that thrived in the underground scene. Drumming up publicity using fake news broadcasts and invented missing posters, it was important that the stars of this film didn't look like anyone the audience had seen before.

The movie starred Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard. All three characters shared a name with the actors who played them, blurring the lines for many audiences between fiction and reality.

According to Heather Donahue, an unknown face and some theatrical talent weren't the only things that were required for starring in the film. It also required nerves of steel. In fact, Donahue revealed that in the advertisement offering up the audition, actors were encouraged not to apply.

"I read an ad in Backstage in New York, which is where I was living at the time," said Donahue during an interview at a San Diego Comic Con in 1999. "You know what it said? 'An improvised feature film, shot in a wooded location. It is going to be hell, and most of you reading this probably shouldn't come.' They used every possible deterrent."

Of course, the actual audition process was incredibly unusual, with little reading from a script. Improvisation was heavily emphasized during the audition, as it served the actors well during filming. Luckily, Donahue had some experience as an improviser. Though the audition was tough, the young actor won the role of a lifetime.