 Both Leonardo DiCaprio (qv) and Ashton Kutcher (qv) were  considered for the role of Dr. Niel Gardners, but the producers  later decided they were too young for the role. Finally, the choices  were narrowed down to Ken Marino (qv), Zach Braff (qv), and  Mark Feuerstein (qv). The producers loved Ken Marinos sense of  humor and chose him.