Many of us often wonder what if. What our lives might have been like should we have chosen a different job, gone to a different school, or moved to another city or town. Or wondered if our lives would have turned out differently if we said yes to certain opportunities or perhaps said no to others. Famous stars have similar choices, albeit with slightly different scenarios, and these iconic roles they turned down turned out differently because of it.
Actors are routinely given opportunities to star in films. Once you reach a certain level of celebrity, offers to star in a particular role come around rather steadily, which allows them the luxury to be more selective with what they star in. Time restraints, amid busy schedules, can restrict how much work they can commit to. Because of this, many pass on roles, or they don’t want to be typecast, or they might not even understand the character.
When one actor passes, it opens the role for another who has gone on to win accolades and awards for their performances. In many instances, these roles have even launched their careers. While these performers were not the first choice, for the audience, they are the only choice, and it’s unimaginable to picture anyone else in the part. (Check out which actors went on to star in movies that are so important they’re studied in college.)
Tom Cruise
- 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
Bruce Willis
- Role: Sam Wheat
- Film: “Ghost”
- Passed because: Didn’t understand the premise of the movie
- Who took on the role: Patrick Swayze
Burt Reynolds
- Role: James Bond
- Film: “Live and Let Die”
- Passed because: Didn’t think that Bond should be played by an American
- Who took on the role: Roger Moore
Hugh Jackman
- Role: James Bond
- Film: “Casino Royale”
- Passed because: Unbelievable and crazy scripts
- Who took on the role: Daniel Craig
Christina Applegate
- Role: Elle Woods
- Film: “Legally Blonde”
- Passed because: Didn’t want to be typecast as the ditzy blond
- Who took on the role: Reese Witherspoon
Tom Hanks
- Role: Jerry McGuire
- Film: “Jerry McGuire”
- Passed because: Already booked to direct “That Thing You Do!”
- Who took on the role: Tom Cruise
Tom Selleck
- Role: Indiana Jones
- Film: “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
- Passed because: “Magnum, P.I.” contract
- Who took on the role: Harrison Ford