It’s hard
to imagine any other celebrities playing the roles of our favorite film
characters. Believe it or not, some
Hollywood stars admit regretting turning down some huge roles that could have been
career-changing for them. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine anyone else starring
in these brilliant films. I believe all
of these actors and actresses gave fantastic performances and most of them have
the Oscar or Academy Awards to prove it. Here are some actors who could have starred in some top-notch
films if they hadn’t passed on the opportunity to someone else.
Will Smith: Neo (The Matrix)
We all
know Keanu Reeves for his performance in The
Matrix trilogy, but the role was first offered to Will Smith. Smith turned
down the role after finding the script a little confusing. He instead filmed Wild Wild West, which turned out to be a
Box-office flop. After watching Reeves’ performance, Smith claims he would have
messed up the film and that Reeves was brilliant. The role was also turned down
by Leonardo DiCaprio and Ewan McGregor.
Al Pacino: Han Solo (Star Wars) & Edward Lewis (Pretty Woman)
Al Pacino
is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Carleone in The Godfather and Tony Montana in Scarface. He turned down Richard Gere’s role in Pretty Woman saying the film was “poorly
written.” He also wasn’t interested in
playing Harrison Ford’s character, Han Solo, in the successful Star Wars films.
John Travolta: Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)
John
Travolta passed on the role of Forrest Gump.
Bill Murray and Chevy Chase also turned down the role. Tom Hanks later won
an Academy Award for Best Actor as the lead in the film. Travolta later admitted that passing on that
role was a mistake.
Julia Roberts: Leanne Tuohy (The Blind Side)
Julia
Roberts turned down the female lead in The
Blind Side. After turning it down three times, Sandra Bullock finally took
the part and almost considered dropping out.
However, she didn’t quit and wound up winning an Oscar for Best Leading
Actress.
Halle Berry: Annie Porter (Speed)
Halle
Berry admits that passing on the role of the female lead in Speed was a dumb move. The role made Sandra Bullock an A-list
celebrity and the film made over $250 million.
Halle Berry had to wait another six years to get a jump on her career.
Edward Norton: Private Ryan (Saving Private Ryan)
Relatively
early in his career, Edward Norton turned down the role of Private Ryan in Spielberg’s
landmark war film, Saving Private Ryan. The role eventually went to Matt Damon. Thanks to this film, Damon was propelled into
more big time films.
Jake Gyllenhaal: Jake Sully (Avatar)
Jake
Gyllenhaal turned down the lead role in the multiple award-winning Avatar.
The role later went to Australian actor, Sam Worthington who is quickly
making his presence known on the big screen in the last few years. The role was
also offered to Matt Damon.
Henry Winkler: Danny Zuko (Grease)
Henry
Winkler turned down the male lead in Grease
which famously went to John Travolta.
Winkler was devastated after turning down the role and the film went on
to become an international hit.
Tom Hanks: Ray Kinsella (Field of Dreams)
Tom Hanks passed
on the lead in this film, but I doubt it affected his career. Kevin Costner took on the role and the film
became Oscar nominated.
John Cusack: John Bender (The Breakfast Club)
John
Cusack was the original actor chosen for the part but was unable to fit it into
his schedule. Judd Nelson ended up with the role.
Mel Gibson: Maximus (Gladiator) & Robin Hood (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)
Mel Gibson
passed on the lead role in Gladiator. Russell Crowe later won a Best Actor
Oscar for his performance and became a huge star. He also turned down the lead role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which
went to Kevin Costner.
Tom Cruise: Ren McCormack (Footloose) & Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
Tom Cruise
was slated to play the lead in Footloose but couldn’t because of scheduling
conflicts with All the Right Moves. Kevin Bacon eventually got the lead. Johnny
Depp, Jim Carrey and Tom Cruise all came close to playing Ferris Bueller, but
the role ultimately went to Matthew Broderick.
Kevin Costner: Andy Dufresne (The Shawshank Redemption)
Kevin
Costner was offered the lead role in the critically acclaimed Shawkshank Redemption, but he was too
embroiled in his role in Waterworld. The role was also offered to Tom Hanks, but
was again turned down due to conflict with Forrest
Gump. Tim Robbins gave a stellar performance in this Oscar nominated film.
~ Michelle Marks
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