Even Hollywood’s Biggest Stars Say No To The Biggest Roles
Burt Reynolds — Star Wars
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Burt Reynolds was — at one time — one of the most recognizable actors in the entire world. As such, it wasn’t a surprise to see production companies lining up with the hopes of hiring Reynolds for potential blockbuster films. Reynolds knew he was in demand. As a result, he was quite choosy when picking roles. This didn’t serve him well when he turned down the opportunity to play Han Solo in the Star Wars trilogy. Harrison Ford gladly stepped in as a replacement.
John Lithgow — Batman
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Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of The Joker is universally revered as a tremendous performance. We almost didn’t get the chance to see that, as John Lithgow was initially pegged to assume the role. After reading for the gig, Lithgow didn’t feel as if he was right for the role. It got to a point where Lithgow had to convince director Tim Burton to take him off the project. Too bad for John, as Nicholson ended up making $100 million off this film alone.
Emma Watson — La La Land
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Emma Watson probably regrets this one. She turned down the opportunity to star as Mia in Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. Instead, the role went to Emma Stone. Stone ultimately won an Oscar for her performance. Interestingly enough, Miles Teller also dropped out of the project. In his place came some guy named Ryan Gosling.
Sean Connery — Lord of the Rings
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Ian McKellen is a great actor. His portrayal of Gandolf in the LOTR films is quite brilliant. With that said, imagine that role instead being played by the great Sean Connery. Connery passed on the project after reading some of the novels, as well as the script. As he put it, “I never understood it. I still don’t understand it.”
Christina Applegate — Legally Blonde
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We must say, Christina Applegate would’ve crushed this role. However, she was reticent to play the character after being a bit of a ditzy scatterbrain on Married With Children. Not wanting to be typecast, Applegate passed on the role — a decision which turned out very fortuitous for Reese Witherspoon.
John Travolta — Forrest Gump
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Sorry, John…but we just don’t see it here. We can’t envision anyone but Tom Hanks playing the title character in Forrest Gump. The move to turn down the role was smart for Travolta as well. He ended up shooting another cult classic, Pulp Fiction. This decision worked out well for all parties.
Will Smith — The Matrix
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This is another one where we much rather prefer the replacement over the original choice. When The Matrix was in development, Will Smith was one of the world’s most famous actors. With that said, he simply wasn’t a good fit for the role of a man who appears to be withdrawn and almost robotic in nature. Keanu Reeves was perfect in that capacity. Smith later admitted that he wasn’t right for the role, and didn’t like the concept of the film when pitched to him.
Nic Cage — The Wrestler
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Nic Cage was a realist when opting to pass on the lead role in what turned out to be a very good film. Cage felt as if the character had to resemble someone on steroids. Cage didn’t want to take steroids himself, and thus didn’t feel as if he could ever get ‘the look’ necessary to resemble a wrestler. As such, he resigned from the movie (with Mickey Rourke taking over).
Anne Hathaway — Knocked Up
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Katherine Heigl played Seth Rogan’s love interest in the hit comedy Knocked Up. However, Anne Hathaway was initially offered Heigl’s role. The movie features a rather graphic birth scene. After having not been a mother (at that point in time), Hathaway didn’t think she’d be able to portray that experience well enough on screen to make it seem realistic.
Charlie Hunnam — 50 Shades of Gray
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Charlie Hunnam has become a very successful actor in a short amount of time. As such, many filmmakers have been wanting to work directly with him. He had to drop out of Fifty Shades due to filming conflicts with both Sons of Anarchy and Crimson Peak. Hunnam was reportedly so upset over leaving Fifty Shades, that he cried on the phone with director Sam Taylor-Johnson for over 20 minutes.
Emily Blunt — Iron Man 2
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Emily Blunt was slated to star in Iron Man 2 as Black Widow. However, Blunt had scheduling conflicts which ultimately led to her dropping out. In her place came the ever-popular Scarlett Johansson. For many who love the Marvel Universe, this was a welcomed change.
Gwyneth Paltrow — Titanic
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This one would’ve been weird. We’ve seen Paltrow attempt a British accent in her Hook cameo. However, we can’t imagine anyone but Kate Winslet in this role. Not only does she offer more depth as an actor, but the chemistry between Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio is undeniable. For whatever reason, Paltrow passed on the gig.
Hugh Jackman — James Bond
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Hugh Jackman is a suave and charming dude. As such, it comes as no surprise to see him linked with the role of James Bond. When approached to follow Pierce Brosnan in the Bond universe, Jackman declined — stating that the scripts appeared to be too unbelievable in nature. Daniel Craig disagreed with that assertion, and thus became the next Bond.
Jake Gyllenhaal — Suicide Squad
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Leading man Jake Gyllenhaal was offered the role of Rick Flag in Suicide Squad. A rugged and physically imposing character, it appeared like Gyllenhaal would be a perfect fit. However, Gyllenhaal didn’t see it that way. He turned down the role — which then went to Joel Kinnaman.
Ja Rule — 2 Fast 2 Furious
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Poor Ja Rule. Outside of the Fyre Festival hubbub, Ja hasn’t exactly been relevant since the early 2000’s. That could’ve changed had he accepted the offered role of Tej in the Fast and Furious series. Instead, Ja Rule reportedly felt as if he was too big a star to be in a sequel. Ludacris eventually received the part, and has been a highly successful actor within the franchise since. As for Ja Rule, he recently starred in the 2013 film I’m in Love with a Church Girl. Yep…we haven’t heard of it, either.
Jennifer Hudson — Precious
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Precious was a gut-wrenching film. It launched the career of Gabourey Sidibe, and simultaneously illustrated a haunting narrative. Hudson was offered the role — though declined for a number of reasons. The move turned out just fine for Hudson, as she’s become a global star via her amazing voice.
Kevin Hart — Tropic Thunder
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Kevin Hart was offered the role of Alpa Chino in Tropic Thunder. In an interview with New York’s Power 105.1, Hart offered the following reasons as to why he turned down the role of playing a gay character:
“I can’t. Not because I have any ill will or disrespect. It’s because I don’t think I’m really going to dive into that role 100 percent because of insecurities about myself trying to play that part. Does that make sense?”
Lindsay Lohan — The Hangover
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Baby Carlos’ mom almost was portrayed by Lindsay Lohan. She had read for the part of Jade the stripper (played eventually by Heather Graham). However, she was deemed too young for the part. While Lohan may have added a bit more star-power to the role, Graham did a fantastic job all the same.
Michael B. Jordan — Straight Outta Compton
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This is one of the very few moments in which Michael B. Jordan had a slight misstep in regards to a career choice. Jordan accepted the role of the Human Torch in Fantastic Four. This prevented him from playing Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton. In retrospect, we really wish he would’ve played Dre.
Matt Damon — Avatar
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James Cameron had pegged Matt Damon to star as the lead in the highly-anticipated film Avatar. However, Damon passed due to a filming conflict with The Bourne Ultimatum. Damon consistently has turned down high-profile roles. Two other notable ones include Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight and the title character in Daredevil.
Matthew McConaughey — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
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McConaughey is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. He’s proven the ability to play a number of dissimilar roles over his illustrious career. Not wanting to just be another big-name added to an already big-name cast, McConaughey opted to instead work on The Dark Tower. It was rumored McConaughey was going to play Kurt Russell’s character, Ego.
Reese Witherspoon — Scream
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Scream had a number of high-profile actors early in their careers. In this situation, Witherspoon was offered the role of Sidney (played by Neve Campbell). However, originally, the role of Sidney was turned down by Drew Barrymore — who instead wanted to play Casey (the character killed off right as the movie began). Witherspoon also declined on Sidney — which led Campbell (the third choice) to play the iconic Scream figure. And you thought Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was complicated…
Sarah Michelle Gellar — Clueless
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Clueless is an emblematic movie from the 1990’s. Within the same token, Gellar was a super popular actress during this time. It made sense to fuse the two together — though it ultimately never came to fruition. Gellar was offered the role of Elise (played by Elisa Donovan). However at the time, Gellar was also starring on All My Children. The soap opera wouldn’t release Gellar from her contract, and thus Gellar wasn’t able to do Clueless.
