Famous Actors and Actresses Who Passed on Iconic Roles

Updated: June 17, 2024 by 24/7 Tempo Staff

We are all tasked with making decisions daily, from waking up at a certain time and selecting what we’ll have for breakfast to where we’ll go to school and what jobs to take. Many of these choices are easy and aren’t likely to have an impact on our lives in the long run. But others can have serious repercussions on not only those making the decision but those who are ultimately involved.

What career path to embark on may be one of the hardest decisions we have to make. Some of us are blessed with knowing what we were meant to do from a young age, while others don’t discover it until later in life. Even when we know what path we wish to travel down, it still isn’t always easy or clear-cut. We might opt to take on a certain project that doesn’t turn out so well or we might opt to turn it down, a decision that can haunt us for years to come, regretting not taking what was presented to us.

Regret is something just about everyone lives with. These missed opportunities are a part of life, and it can sometimes be a challenge not to dwell on them. But for some actors and actresses, it’s probably a bit harder to not dwell on missed opportunities to star in major blockbuster films, not because they didn’t get cast in the role, but because even though they get cast in the role, they decided to turn it down. Once you reach a certain level of celebrity, offers to star in a particular role come around rather steadily, unlike when you were an up-and-coming thespian, and it affords them the ability to pick and choose what they star in, or, due to their schedules, doesn’t allow them the time to accept them all.

Even the best actors (and their agents) can’t predict how well a film will or won’t do at the box office, and those who pass on the chance to star in any particular film, likely have good reasons. It could be due to a scheduling conflict; either they’ve already booked a film or TV show that was slated to be filmed at the same time, or they had the choice between starring in two films and choosing the other. They also may not want to be typecasting and become stuck in the same type of role for their careers. Other times they might not understand the script or simply think the film won’t do well.

Regardless of why they passed, it generally opens up the doors to other actors who have gone on to win accolades and awards for their performances, and in many instances, launched their careers. Many of these performers who accepted the part may not have been the first choice, but for the viewers, they are the only choice and it’s hard to picture anyone else bringing the part to life. One thing is certain is that even though these A-list actors and actresses passed up on these iconic roles, they didn’t suffer for it; some of them even went on to star in movies that are so important they’re studied in college.

Tom Cruise

Source: Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images

Movie role: Ren McCormack
Film: “Footloose”
Passed because: He was cast to star in “All the Right Moves”
Who took on the role: Kevin Bacon

Will Smith

Movie role: Neo
Film: “The Matrix”
Passed because: He said the moving sounded confusing
Who took on the role: Keanu Reeves

Al Pacino

Movie role: Han Solo
Film: “Star Wars”
Passed because: He didn’t understand the script and felt it wasn’t the right role for him
Who took on the role: Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Movie role: Alan Grant
Film: “Jurassic Park”
Passed because: Unknown
Who took on the role: Sam Neil

Johnny Depp

Movie role: Ferris Bueller
Film: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
Passed because: Scheduling conflicts
Who took on the role: Matthew Broderick

Marilyn Monroe

Role: Holly Golightly
Film: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
Passed because: Reportedly, her acting coach didn’t want the character’s party girl persona damaging her image
Who took on the role: Audrey Hepburn

Mel Gibson

Role: Maximus
Film: “Gladiator”
Passed because: He felt he was too old
Who took on the role: Russell Crowe

Ian McKellen

Role: Dumbledore
Film: The Harry Potter series
Passed because: Harris once referred to his acting as “passionless,” and he couldn’t “take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.”
Who took on the role: Michael Gambon (after Richard Harris, who originated the role, passed away)

Molly Ringwald

Role: Vivian Ward
Film: “Pretty Woman”
Passed because: She didn’t like the story
Who took on the role: Julia Roberts

Henry Winkler

Role: Danny Zuko
Film: “Grease”
Passed because: He didn’t want to be typecast
Who took on the role: John Travolta

John Travolta

Role: Forrest Gump
Film: “Forrest Gump”
Passed because: To appear in “Pulp Fiction”
Who took on the role: Tom Hanks

Jack Nicholson

Role: Michael Corleone
Film: “The Godfather”
Passed because: Reportedly, he believed that it should be played by an Italian
Who took on the role: Al Pacino

Emilia Clarke

Role: Anastasia Steele
Film: “Fifty Shades of Grey”
Passed because: All the required nudity
Who took on the role: Dakota Johnson

Brad Pitt

Role: Jason Bourne
Film: The Bourne Series
Passed because: He’d already been cast in “Spy Game”
Who took on the role: Matt Damon

Bette Midler

Role: Deloris Van Cartier
Film: “Sister Act”
Passed because: She didn’t want to wear a nun costume
Who took on the role: Whoopi Goldberg

Emma Watson

Role: Mia Dolan
Film: “La La Land”
Passed because: Committed to starring as Belle in Disney’s live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast”
Who took on the role: Emma Stone

Sean Connery

Role: Gandalf
Film: The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Passed because: Reportedly, he didn’t understand the script
Who took on the role: Ian McKellen

Gwyneth Paltrow

Role: Rose
Film: “Titanic”
Passed because: Chose a part in “Great Expectations”
Who took on the role: Kate Winslet

Emily Blunt

Role: Black Widow
Film: “Iron Man 2”
Passed because: Scheduling conflict
Who took on the role: Scarlett Johansson

Michael Keaton

Role: Phil Connors
Film: “Groundhog Day”
Passed because: Didn’t want to be play another “kind of wry, sardonic, glib young man”
Who took on the role: Bill Murray