20 famous movie roles that were almost played by other actors
Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Famous actors are people too and sometimes they make decisions because of which they then bite their elbows and count their losses for the rest of their lives. Even experienced Hollywood stars sometimes refuse roles in films that, after their release, acquire cult status. In some cases, of course, it's because they can't fit their filming schedule with other projects, and then they have no other choice.
However, the final choice of actors often turns out to be very successful, and then it is simply impossible to imagine anyone else in this role. Here are famous movie roles that were originally supposed to be played by other actors, but they didn’t work out.
Being a fan of The Twilight Saga, Jennifer auditioned for the leading female role in the famous film adaptation. However, her appearance did not suit the image of the fragile and distant Bella.
It's hard to believe, but Robin Williams was seriously considered for the role of Jack Torrance, the main character in the film The Shining. Stanley Kubrick turned him down, considering him too psychopathic.
The film's director, David Fincher, decided that Johansson was too attractive for the poorly socialized, techno-gothic heroine Lisbeth. You certainly can't argue with that.
Will Smith wanted director Quentin Tarantino to rewrite the script and increase the importance of the main character in the plot. “I only play leading roles,” said the actor. But Tarantino did not agree with him.
It's hard to imagine, but Bruce Willis (who was then Demi Moore's husband) was the first choice for the role of Sam. However, the actor refused the director's offer, as he believed that the film would not be successful due to the fact that the main character was dead for almost the entire film.
Most would agree that Scarlett Johansson has played Black Widow well in the Marvel films, but the role originally belonged to Emily Blunt. When asked why she didn’t star in them, the actress answered in an interview: “It was not the time for this role.”
Initially, it was Nicolas Cage who was approved for the main role in the film “The Wrestler”, but the actor refused the offer in favor of his friend Mickey Rourke, who was interested in this role. It must be admitted that, being a former boxer, Rourke was ideal for the main role in this film.
It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the female lead in this film, but James Cameron was initially unimpressed with Kate Winslet's performance. He wanted Gwyneth Paltrow to play the main character in his film. But Kate Winslet made every possible and impossible effort to get this role, and she succeeded.
At first, the most preferred candidate for the lead role in the sci-fi drama Gravity was Angelina Jolie. But the actress had to refuse this offer because she was working on her own film, In the Land of Blood and Honey. They say Angelina was very angry with Sandra Bullock.
It is known that Leonardo DiCaprio expressed interest in starring in the film "American Psycho", but the director ultimately chose Christian Bale and hit the bull's eye.
Kim Basinger auditioned for the role of moody editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, but fortunately the role went to Meryl Streep, who performed brilliantly.
Another incredible fact: the main female role in the cult film “Fight Club” was first offered to Reese Witherspoon. She turned it down because she thought the film was too dark. Well, she was probably right.
The producers of The Lord of the Rings approached Sean Connery with an offer to play Gandalf. Connery turned down the role because he found the script too strange. By the way, if he had accepted the offer, he would have become the highest paid actor in the history of cinema.
Can you imagine what this movie would have been like if Jim Carrey had played Loki? In fact, the actor remained a favorite in the casting for a long time, but in the end the role went to Tom Hiddleston.
Travolta turned down a "weird role" in Forrest Gump. But later the actor said that he really regretted this decision.
The author of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote, wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the main role in the film adaptation of his novel, and she was even approved. But the film's producers cast Audrey Hepburn once they learned the actress was interested in the role.
Will Smith turned down the offer to play Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West, which ended up being a box office failure. “At that moment, I was not wise enough as an actor to play in this film,” Will Smith later said. It's good that Keanu Reeves realized that the role was worth it.
Jeremy Irons turned down the role of a maniac in The Silence of the Lambs because he did not want to play such a cruel person. Obviously, Anthony Hopkins had a different opinion: he received an Oscar for this role.
Jensen Ackles was originally supposed to play Captain America, but he was too busy with other projects.
Madonna has always been interested in the art of Frida Kahlo and wanted to play the role of this famous artist in the film. However, the producers decided to cast Salma Hayek for this role, and they did the right thing.