10 Actors Who Turned Down Big Movies Because They Just Didn’t Get Them

Perfect casting for movies and TV series doesn’t happen by accident. Sometimes, the writer writes the project with someone in mind, and that person agrees to work on it, and magic happens. Other times, the casting director nails who to bring in, and the director loves one person, and it all works. But most of the time, the production casts a wide net with certain stars in mind and others who have to come in and read for the part.

Some actors have reached a level of not having to audition for a role, and they are just offered parts. These are the most well-known actors who will get top billing or close to the top on the project. But even those actors can’t always see what the vision of the writer and director is, and it ultimately doesn’t work. There are many cases of this happening in Hollywood, with some of the biggest names in the industry turning down iconic roles because they just didn’t understand the movie’s potential. Here are some notable ones.

10

Al Pacino Turned Down ‘Star Wars’

When casting the original Star Wars, George Lucas had a number of actors in mind for different roles. The role of Han Solo was a tough one to cast, as it needed someone with a lot of charisma and enough name recognition that the entire cast wasn’t made up of younger actors. It’s reported that the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Christopher Walken, Robert Englund, Nick Nolte, Kurt Russell, and Burt Reynolds were all either considered for the role in Star Wars or auditioned for it.

One person who was offered the role was Al Pacino. Pacino had already been in both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II by then, as well as Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. His star was rising in Hollywood, and he ultimately turned down Han Solo because he didn’t understand the script. Something about the space opera didn’t click with Pacino, but it did with Harrison Ford, who had worked with Lucas on American Graffiti a few years before.

9

John Travolta Turned Down ‘Chicago’

Broadway shows brought to the big screen are sometimes successful and other times don’t work. Chicago first premiered on Broadway in 1975 and is the second-longest-running show in Broadway history. Bob Fosse, who wrote the book for the musical, hoped to adapt the film himself in the 1970s, but it never came to fruition. When it ultimately did in the early 2000s, the casting directors aimed for some big-name actors for the three main parts of Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly, and Billy Flynn.

Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones ultimately were cast in the first two parts. John Travolta was offered the role of Flynn, the fast-talking lawyer who made spectacles of his clients to earn more public support. Travolta was offered the role three different times during the process but turned it down each time, saying he didn’t think the script was ready. After more work on the script, Richard Gere was cast, earning him a Golden Globe, and the film won Best Picture at the Oscars.

8

Michael Keaton Turned Down ‘Groundhog Day’

It’s hard to imagine someone else playing Phil Connors other than Bill Murray. But that almost was the case when Columbia Pictures was casting Groundhog Day. The movie, directed and co-written by Harold Ramis, who worked with Murray on Ghostbusters, Meatballs, Caddyshack, and Stripes before that, didn’t originally think of Murray for the lead role. Michael Keaton was offered the lead role as the cynical reporter stuck in a time loop and forced to relive Groundhog Day over and over.

But Keaton just didn’t quite get the script and wasn’t sure about how to best play the character. He ultimately passed and has said that nobody could have played the part better than Murray. Keaton did get his chance to work with both Groundhog Day costar Andie McDowell and Ramis three years later when he starred in Multiplicity.

7

Denzel Washington Turned Down ‘Se7en’

It’s not easy to stomach Se7en, a brutal crime thriller that features two detectives hunting down a serial killer committing crimes based on the Seven Deadly Sins. David Fincher’s movie is a macabre masterwork and stars Brad Pitt as David Mills and Morgan Freeman and William Somerset, the detectives in the film. But Pitt wasn’t the first one offered the role of Mills, as Denzel Washington was approached to play the younger detective.

Washington, who has been known to play police officers and detectives throughout his career, read Andrew Kevin Walker’s script and turned it down. He said at the Toronto International Film Festival that it was “too much” and “too demonic.” The role allowed Pitt to show that he had more range than soapy dramas, and it is widely considered one of the best crime thrillers of the 1990s.

6

Hugh Jackman Turned Down ‘Casino Royale’

The world nearly got an Australian James Bond. After Pierce Brosnan finished his 007 duties, the next actor to take up the mantle was to be determined. Barbara Broccoli cast a wide net when searching for the next Bond and offered the role in Casino Royale to Hugh Jackman. Jackman, who had recently starred in X-Men as Wolverine, would have had roles in two big franchises had he heeded the call.

Jackman said that the previous movies had been “so unbelievable and crazy” that he felt the scripts needed more grit. He didn’t want to take the chance that the movie would be something silly. He passed on the role, and it eventually went to Daniel Craig, who brought more of that grit and seriousness to the role than previous actors had.

5

Bruce Willis Turned Down ‘Ghost’

One of the most iconic films of the early 1990s was Ghost, a sci-fi romance starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. It helped grow Moore and Swayze’s star, and Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for her role in the film. But the movie wasn’t always looked at as a huge hit, especially by those who were up for Swayze’s role of Sam.

Michael J. Fox turned the role down, as did Bruce Willis. Willis said that he didn’t have confidence that the script would work, and he wasn’t sure that a romance about a ghost would actually make sense on screen. It is funny that he turned it down because he could have worked with his wife in the film, as he and Moore were married in 1987. Ghost went on to make over $505 million at the box office worldwide.

4

Eddie Murphy Turned Down ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’

A breakthrough film with its blend of live action and animation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was awarded a special recognition Oscar in 1988 for its technological advancements. The film features Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant, a private investigator who lives in a world where humans and cartoons co-exist. He is hired to prove that Roger Rabbit, a beloved cartoon actor, was framed for murder.

Hoskins wasn’t the first choice for the role, as Eddie Murphy was offered the part of Valiant. But Murphy, some might say rightfully so, was leery about how the live action and animation would blend on screen and wasn’t sure that it would all work. He was fresh off Coming to America and the first two Beverly Hills Cop films, arguably the height of his popularity. He passed on the risky role, and Hoskins took up the mantle. His performance was lauded by fans and critics, as was Christopher Lloyd’s iconic villain, Judge Doom. The movie made over $350 million globally.

3

Michelle Pfeiffer Turned Down ‘The Silence of the Lambs’

Jodie Foster had just won an Academy Award for her performance in The Accused when the casting for The Silence of the Lambs was underway. She wanted the role after reading the book it was based on, but director Jonathan Demme wasn’t convinced she was right for the part. He offered the role to Michelle Pfeiffer, who was his first choice to play Clarice Starling. However, Pfeiffer turned the role down as she got “nervous about the subject matter” and thought the script was too evil.

The film depicts Starling, an FBI agent using serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s help, as she tries to solve a case. The script also scared away Gene Hackman, who was approached to play Jack Crawford, a role that ultimately went to Scott Glenn. The film won five Oscars, including Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins for his portrayal of Lecter, Foster for Best Actress, Demme for Best Director, as well as Best Picture.

2

Sean Connery Turned Down ‘The Lord of the Rings’

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Ian McKellen as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. But McKellan wasn’t Peter Jackson’s first choice for the wizard and one of the main characters in the trilogy. Sean Connery was the top pick for the role as the former James Bond could bring a large level of gravitas to the role. But after reading the script, Connery didn’t understand the movie. He couldn’t get his head around how to play the role. Connery was even offered a percentage of the box office gross on top of a salary.

Ultimately, he passed, and McKellan was given the part. Connery even stated that after he read the books and saw the movies, he still didn’t really grasp J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world. McKellan went on to play Gandalf in all three The Lord of the Rings films as well as all three of The Hobbit trilogy, earning an Academy Award nomination for his performance.

1

Will Smith Turned Down ‘The Matrix’

No one knew that The Matrix would go on to become a global phenomenon when it was first pitched by the Wachowskis in the late 1990s. The world inside the digital reality was almost too hard to comprehend for some, and that included the actor who was first approached about playing Neo. Will Smith was the first choice for the role, as he was one of the biggest movie stars at the time.

Smith saw what the impact of the film could be with its use of cutting-edge camera use and CGI techniques. But he couldn’t understand the vision for the film and the subsequent sequels afterward. He passed on the role for one in Wild Wild West, which became one of the worst films in his filmography. The Matrix franchise moved forward with Keanu Reeves and earned over $1.7B across four films.