Actors/Actresses Who Turned Down Major Roles (Or Had To Be Recasted)

[Lord T]

What if your favorite character had been portrayed by a completely different actor than the one you’re familiar with? Would you still feel the same way about the movie? Most movie productions go through a long casting process before they’re able to find the right person for the lead. In some cases, recasts take place just before, or sometimes during filming. Whether because of differences of opinion with the director, poor acting skills, or prior obligations, some actors just don’t work out.

Here's some roles actors/actresses passed on, and some that were recasted. Some for the better, others not.

Ice Cube and Dave Chapelle as Bubba
Forrest Gump

Chappelle was offered the role of Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue in Forrest Gump. Concerned the character was demeaning and the movie would bomb, he turned down the part. He has since said that he regrets not taking the role when he saw how successful the movie became. Appearing in Forrest Gump would have introduced Dave Chappelle to an extremely large, mainstream audience early on, but the movie isn't exactly in tune with the tone of his stand-up. A role in a huge movie like this would have been great for Chappelle’s acting career, but it might have proved to be a distraction from his comedy.

Ice Cube turned down the role of Bubba because he did not want to appear "stupid."

 

[Lord T]

Sylvester Stallone as Axel Foley
Beverly Hills Cop

Jerry Bruckheimer originally wanted Mickey Rourke in the lead role, but when he pulled out, it was offered to Stallone. Stallone personally rewrote the script. He removed all the elements of humor and had plans on turning the film into an action packed blockbuster. Due to budgetary constraints, Stallone and the producers went their separate ways. Stallone took his ideas from his rewrite and made the film Cobra. After Eddie Murphy was cast, script rewrites were made to repair the damage done by Stallone. In Beverly Hills Cop 2, there is a brief scene in which Axel Foley is looking at a poster from Cobra while talking on the phone.

 

[Lord T]

Chris Farley as Shrek
Shrek

Chris Farley was originally signed on to voice the ogre, Shrek, and had recorded the majority of the dialogue for it (by varying accounts, 80% to 95% of his dialogue for the film). Tragically, Farley died from a heart attack, induced by a drug overdose, before he could finish. The script that Farley read from was vastly different from the version completed with Mike Myers. Originally, Shrek was written as a kind hearted, teenaged ogre who doesn't want to go into the family business of scaring people and instead wants to be a knight. After Farley’s death, Dreamwork’s decided to start fresh. As a tribute, Shrek is seen using finger quotes throughout the movie in reference to one of Farley’s famous SNL characters.

 

[Lord T]

Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones
Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Little known actor Tom Selleck auditioned for Indiana Jones as well as Magnum P.I. in the same year, and was cast in both roles. Unfortunately for Selleck, he had signed the contract for Magnum P.I. first and CBS wouldn’t let him out of it. Selleck had no choice but to turn down what could have been the biggest role of his career. Spielberg convinced Lucas to give Harrison Ford the part as a last minute replacement for the Indy role. Ford went on to become one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, while Selleck is now starring in a series of TV movies.

As it turned out, shooting for Magnum P.I. was delayed by a writers’ strike until after Raiders had commenced, all while the opening scenes from Raiders were being filmed in Hawaii,
which would have given Selleck time to do both.

Tom Selleck's screen test for Indiana Jones

 

[Lord T]

Ray Liotta as Tony Soprano
The Sopranos, 1999-2007

Ray Liotta perfectly embodied gangster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, so it’s no surprise that he was approached by producers to portray Tony Soprano in HBO’s The Sopranos. According to Liotta in a 2001 Today Show interview, he turned it down because he wanted to focus on movies, and signing on to the series would have meant at least a two-year commitment. Things, of course, ended up working out for the very best. The part was then offered to late actor James Gandolfini (R.I.P.), who was absolutely legendary in the role.

 

[Lord T]

Tom Cruise as Iron Man

It’s obviously hard to fathom now, with RDJ slipping so perfectly into the role of Tony Stark, but it probably seemed ridiculous to some back in early 2007 when it was announced that the once down-on-his-luck Robert Downey Jr would be playing Marvel’s suave, self-made superhero, Iron Man.

Particularly when – despite a seemingly on-again, off-again relationship – it was long believed that Tom Cruise would not only eventually star as Stark, but also co-produce the character’s first foray onto the big screen. Cruise’s connection to an Iron Man movie goes back to just after the turn of the century, and intensified after Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man helped inject a new lease on life into the superhero genre.

Marvel Studios executive Kevin Feige was quoted as saying in 2004:

“There have been discussions (with Cruise) over the last several years and there are a number of factors involved. All we know is that we’re putting all the pieces in place and then we’ll find the best Tony Stark that we can get.”

Apparently Cruise finally lost interest in being apart of Iron Man due to the script at the time. It is not known whether it was the draft that centered around Stark’s father, Howard, turning out to be the villain of the piece. Said Cruise:

“I don’t know. It just … they came to me at a certain point and … when I do something, I wanna do it right. If I commit to something, it has to be done in a way that I know it’s gonna be something special. And as it was lining up, it just didn’t feel to me like it was gonna work.”

Once Marvel settled on a director in Jon Favreau- and a decent script – Favreau overlooked such actors as Clive Owen and Sam Rockwell for the lead role, stating that Downey Jr could make Stark “a likable asshole.” And RDJ delivered. Cruise, on the other hand, may have made Stark just an asshole. Sorry Tom.

 

[Lord T]

Lance Henriksen as The Terminator
The Terminator

When James Cameron first wrote the script, he wanted a regular looking guy who didn’t stand out in a crowd. Henriksen, who was a long time friend of Cameron’s, was his first choice. Writer/director James Cameron even made early sketches showing The Terminator looking like Henriksen. When Schwarzenegger came in to read for the role of Kyle Reese, it was decided that he would be better suited in the lead role. Henriksen would eventually be cast as Detective Vukovich, a relatively small role. Henriksen later got to play the part of a humanoid cyborg when he played Bishop in Aliens (1986), also directed by Cameron.

O.J. Simpson had also been considered as the Terminator but Cameron felt he was “too nice” to play a killing machine.

 

[Lord T]

Russell Crowe as Morpheus
The Matrix

I can imagine why actors would have turned this one down as the Wachowskis weren’t big directors yet and the concept would probably be very hard to imagine. Crowe read the script but couldn’t understand it and passed on it. He’s not the only one though…

 

[Lord T]

Sean Connery as Morpheus, The Architect (The Matrix-1999, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions-2003)
and Gandalf (Lord of the Rings Trilogy, 2001-2003)

There are a lot of high profile roles that were first offered to Sean Connery before anyone else, but the two biggest would absolutely have to be the role of Morpheus in The Matrix, and the role of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. Connery reportedly turned down both roles when they were offered to him because he “didn’t understand” the material, so Morpheus eventually went to Laurence Fishburne—it, in turn, revitalized his career. Connery was offered a second chance to be part of the Matrix franchise as "The Architect" in "Matrix Reloaded" and "Matrix Revolutions". Once again he turned the role down due to "not understanding the material".

Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings series because he didn’t want to film down in New Zealand for 18 months, and could not understand the novels and Gandalf went to the brilliant Ian McKellen. CNN have subsequently reported that Connery was offered up to 15% of the worldwide box office receipts to play the wizard, which would have made him about $400 million for the trilogy, and a very happy man. So that’s the price of not understanding a script then…

He, understandably, later regretted turning down both roles, which led him to join the cast of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen when it was offered to him in 2003. According to producer Don Murphy, when Connery accepted the part, he said: “I got offered The Lord of the Rings, and I turned it down because I didn't understand it. I was offered The Matrix twice, and I turned it down because I didn't understand it. I don't understand this movie, but I'll be damned if I'm going to turn it down.'”

 

[c_commander]

The only ones I can think of are Halle Berry who turned down Sandra Bullock's part in Speed, Dougray Scott who had the part of Wolverine in X-Men but had to drop out because of Mission Impossible 2's schedule and Eric Stoltz who was Marty McFly initially before being recast after filming had started.

 

[Lord T]

Jean Reno as Agent Smith
The Matrix

French actor JEAN RENO turned down the role of villainous AGENT SMITH in THE MATRIX movies - because he didn't like the idea of leaving his native France for months of filming in Australia.

The "LEON" star was offered the role ahead of Aussie actor HUGO WEAVING, but took the tough decision to stay in Europe rather than travel half way around the world to shoot the film.

He recalls, "There was a period of my life where I couldn't move from France, and they were shooting in Australia for four-and-a-half months, which is a long time."

He took a role in "Godzilla" instead.

 

[Lord T]

Jet Li as Deacon Frost
Blade

Jet Li was offered the role of Deacon Frost, the man responsible for Blade's vampirism. Li declined, and opted to do Lethal Weapon 4 instead.

The role went to Stephen Dorff.

 

[Lord T]

Jack Nicholson as Michael Corleone
The Godfather

Jack Nicholson, not Al Pacino, was the first one offered the role of Michael Corleone in 'The Godfather.' Nicholson turned it down because, as he once said, "I knew 'The Godfather' was going to be a great film, but at that time I believed Indians should play roles written for Indians and Italians should do the same."

Considering Jack appeared in the likes of 'Easy Rider,' 'The Last Detail,' 'Five Easy Pieces,' 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' and 'Chinatown' within a handful of years of 'The Godfather,' he obviously survived passing on the role.

 

[Lord T]

Mel Gibson as Maximus
Gladiator (2000)

Mel Gibson has already verified that he can credibly play the lead in epic historical dramas, when he portrayed heroic Scotsman William Wallace. Gibson won two Oscars in 1995 for his own epic tale Braveheart. So when he was approached by director Ridley Scott, concerning the lead role in Gladiator, it was presumed that Gibson would welcome the role with open arms and relish the opportunity to once again play the role of enigmatic warrior.

However, he was 43 years old at the time Gladiator was ramping up production, and considered himself too old. He turned down the role because he didn’t think he’d be believable in the fight scenes. Crowe, who was 8 years younger, eventually took the role and went on to win Best Actor for his portrayal of the Roman General turned tortured gladiator, which made him a star.

 

[Lord T]

Denzel Washington as David Mills (Se7en)
Denzel Washington as Michael Clayton (Michael Clayton)

Denzel Washington regrets passing up ‘Seven’ and ‘Michael Clayton’

What if Denzel Washington had been in "Seven" instead of Brad Pitt? And what if he played the title character in "Michael Clayton" instead of George Clooney?

If Washington could go back in time, he would reverse his past decisions to pass up those plum roles, citing them as his two biggest career regrets in a recent interview with GQ. "With 'Clayton,' it was the best material I had read in a long time, but I was nervous about a first-time director, and I was wrong. It happens," Washington admitted.

We can't help but think how incredibly different those two movies would have been had Washington starred in them. In terms of casting 1995's "Seven," would Gwyneth Paltrow have played Washington's young wife? Would Morgan Freeman still have been the sage detective helping David Mills (played by Pitt) along? Washington said he initially passed it up because it was too dark and evil, but later kicked himself when he saw the David Fincher film in theaters.

While it's true that "Clayton" was Tony Gilroy's directorial debut, Clooney had enough faith to take the leap that Washington didn't. The film garnered (coincidentally) seven Oscar nominations -- including Best Director for Gilroy -- and one win for Tilda Swinton in the Best Supporting Actress category. Clooney was also nominated in the Best Actor category, proving that Washington did, in fact, seriously miss out.

 

[Lord T]

Michelle Pfeiffer as Clarice Starling
Silence Of The Lambs

Michelle Pfeiffer is very much the actress of yesteryear. She is famed primarily for her performances in late 80’s and early 90’s pictures, such as Dangerous Liasions, Batman Returns and The Fabulous Baker Boys, (for which she both received Oscar nominations). This lucrative period in her career could have been even more fruitful, should she have accepted the legendary role of Clarice Sterling in Silence Of The Lambs. However she foolishly turned down this part, in the assertion that the film was so violent and sadistic that it would become a commerical flop. So as a result of this painful misjudgement, she has had to agonizingly watch in silence, as Jodie Foster (her replacement) put in an Academy Award winning turn as the eminent FBI Agent.

To put the kibosh on a disastrous decision for Pfeiffer, the film won 5 Oscars and became the third film in history to win the so called “Big Five.” (Picture, Director, Screenplay and Leading Actor and Actress.) Pfeiffer is now very much a forgotten woman in Hollywood and since the release of this film, she has yet to gain another Academy Award nomination to add to her assemblage. Its feasible that should she have taken this role, we would still be talking about Pfeiffer in the same breath as the likes of Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster.

 

[Flawless]

So Chapelle thought the role was demeaning but changed his mind after seeing how successful it was?

 

[Lord T]

So Chapelle thought the role was demeaning but changed his mind after seeing how successful it was?

Yep!

 

[Lord T]

Al Pacino as Han Solo
Star Wars

For a guy with a fair share of iconic roles, Harrison Ford’s turn as Han Solo in Star Wars is arguably one of the most iconic. But it turns out George Lucas had another breakout actor in mind first — and here’s why that guy turned it down.

The role was apparently first offered to Al Pacino, who declined Lucas’ overtures and opened the door for Ford’s ass-kicking performance. So why didn’t Pacino want to bring the blaster-toting space smuggler to life?

His answer:

"It was mine for the taking but I didn’t understand the script."

Pacino was repelled by the substantial fantasy component of the script, so he turned down George Lucas and instead opted to appear in the Sydney Pollack biopic, Bobby Deerfield, which has actually gone on to be one of his lesser known films.

Hmm. Admittedly, as simple as the film seems, it was a pretty high-concept sci-fi pitch at the time that Lucas was trying to get it off the ground (not to mention that the script changed a lot in the development phase). But it makes us curious to know what, exactly, left Pacino so bewildered that he decided to pass on the series.

 

[Lord T]

Bill Murray, John Travolta, and Chevy Chase as Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump (1994)

Tom Hanks was crucial to the success of Forrest Gump, but a ton of other famous actors could have easily headlined the 1994 comedy: Bill Murray, John Travolta, and Chevy Chase, for instance. All three of them were reportedly offered the lead role of Forrest, but they each turned it down. Paramount wanted Bill Murray to play Forrest Gump but Murray turned down the role thinking it would flop. Travolta later said that he regretted the decision, and Chase claimed he was shown a very early draft of the script that was “drastically different” than the film.

Tom Hanks went on to win the 1995 'Best Actor' Academy Award Oscar for his performance.

 

[TheFuser]

this is a great thread

 

[shaddyvillethug]

All of these went to the right people

But that Jean Reno one is interesting

 

[Lord T]

Angela Bassett as Leticia
Monster's Ball

Angela Bassett turned down the role, openly telling Newsweek she didn't want to fit a cliché.

"I wasn't going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn't do that because it's such a stereotype about black women and sexuality."

Vanessa Williams also turned down the role due to the full frontal nudity involved.

The role earned Berry a Best Actress Oscar, making her the first African-American woman to receive the award. Which is more than the actress probably would have received for a role she turned down ...

 

[TheFuser]

All of these went to the right people

But that Jean Reno one is interesting

Word. That scene in Reloaded when Smith has all the clones meet in the courtyard with Neo and they give the long monologue, "it's the question that drives us... the question that..." Reno would've nailed that shit. Not that Weaving didn't.

 

[Lord T]

Tom Hanks as Andy Dufresne
Shawshank Redemption

As fate would have it, two life-changing roles fell on the lap of actor Tom Hanks simultaneously. Hanks was first choice for the role of Andy Dufrasne in the 1994 classic The Shawshank Redemption, a film often considered to be the best of the 90s and one of the best of all time. Despite being keen to do the movie, he turned the film down because he was too commited to Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump, therefore he regrettably had to decline. (He of course went on to win an Oscar for his performance in Forrest Gump, a film which also won Best Picture, beating Shawshank to the major awards that year.)

If there was any criticism at all level at The Shawshank Redemption, it was categorically aimed at the labored performance of Tim Robbins in the lead role. Robbins was condemned for not creating a connection between the audience and Andy, quite the opposite of what Morgan Freeman was able to do with the second lead character of Red. It is undoubtable that this criticism would not have been present in the reviews under Tom Hanks’ depiction of Andy Dufrasne.

Hanks’ demeanor of playing quiet intelligence and serenity you’d imagine would have been perfect for the role of Andy Dufrasne, and one things for sure, if Hanks had elected to appear in Shawshank ahead of Oscar rival Forrest Gump, the whole Oscar race of 1994 would have been completely turned on its head and it would have been Shawshank which won the plaudits over Gump.

Instead, he worked on director Frank Darabont's next film, "The Green Mile."

 

[Lord T]

Ralph Macchio as Marty McFly
Back To The Future

Today, we remember Ralph Macchio almost exclusively for his work in The Karate Kid, but it’s surprising to think how close he was to the other gigantic franchise of the 1980s. Most people know the story of how Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. They shot part of the movie, it wasn’t working, they recast the role with Michael J. Fox, and the rest is history. But before any of that happened, Ralph Macchio was a contender for the part.

Or would have been, if he’d actually taken the time to read the script properly. He’s gone on record saying that he turned down the role because at the time, he thought it was just about “a kid, a car, and plutonium pills”. Uh…ok?

 

[TheFuser]

Tom Hanks as Andy Dufresne
Shawshank Redemption

Oh shit. Shawshank is one of my favorite movies. Hanks would've owned that fucking role. He and Morgan Freeman..... DAMN!!!!!

 

[Coldchi]

Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix to play in the movie Wild Wild West. Even though Wild Wild West didn't do well, Smith said he did not regret his decision.

In an interview with Wired, Smith said, "I would have absolutely messed up 'The Matrix.' At that point I wasn't smart enough as an actor to let the movie be -- whereas Keanu was.
Will Smith also stated reasons because of skepticism over the film's ambitious bullet time special effects."

 

[Flawless]

Selleck could have done Indiana Jones and Gibson could have done Gladiator

 

[shaddyvillethug]

Nigga please

We woulda owned that matrix movie

Furious styles and will smith????

 

["THE MAN"]

Jet Li in Blade would have been dope!

Here is another.

Angela Bassett as Leticia
Monster's Ball
"I wasn't going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn't do that because it's such a stereotype about black women and sexuality."

Thank you Angela Bassett

 

[METALFACE]

Angela Bassett as Leticia
Monster's Ball

Glad she turned this bullshit down. She has integrity. Wish more black people did and stopped taking these hoe role sterotypes. Halley got smutted. Lost all respect for her after this role.

 

[Lord T]

Oh shit. Shawshank is one of my favorite movies. Hanks would've owned that fucking role. He and Morgan Freeman..... DAMN!!!!!

Seems like Tom Hanks was in a win/win situation right there! He could have won an Oscar for Shawshank or Forrest Gump!

 

[Lord T]

Nigga please

We woulda owned that matrix movie

Furious styles and will smith????

 

[keone]

arsenio hall in bad boys

It was one of those things I tried to purse after I left late night. I wanted to study and take it seriously and not just be the talk show host who is popular so he gets a role. But I wasn’t able to crack that nut the way I wanted. It’s a tough racket. Sometimes I made bad choices. I remember there was a time I decided not to do more stand up or go on the road. I turned down a movie called Bad Boys where it would have been me and Martin (Lawrence) instead of Will (Smith) and Martin. You look back and say it wasn’t a bad decision because I’m happy with my life. I’m a daddy or whatever. But then you realize, that’s not where I’m supposed to be. One day you really miss it.