3 Peter Billingsly was the first kid to audition for the role of Ralphie.

At just 12 years old, Peter Billingsly stunned audiences when he played Ralphie in A Christmas Story — but it almost didn't turn out that way. Although he was the first kid to audition for the role, Clark insisted on seeing other actors — actually thousands. As we all know, Billingsly ultimately got the job, and he claims Clark pushed him to act out of his comfort zone. You know the scene where Ralphie is shooting bandits and chewing tobacco? According to Billingsly, the tobacco he chewed in the movie was as real as it gets. He even said that the tobacco caused him to feel "really dizzy" and his "lips started burning.