MORE ACTORS WHO PASSED ON ICONIC ROLES
Added on: 11th Feb 2015
TOM SELLECK
The Role: Indiana Jones
Tom Selleck didn’t exactly turn down the role. He was very
interested in playing the role. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas
both picked Selleck for the role but a deal couldn’t be reached with
Universal Studios whom Selleck was set to do another film with.
The role eventually went to Harrison Ford (whom George Lucas was initially
reluctant to cast) and gave him another major role after Star Wars.
The franchise has a total worldwide earning amounting to $1,978,055,564.
DOUGRAY SCOTT
The Role: Wolverine
Although Hugh Jackman is now exclusively associated with
Wolverine, the role was initially meant to be portrayed by another actor,
Dougray Scott. Scott was handpicked by Tom Cruise to play the villain
in Mission Impossible. The 2nd instalment of MI overran filming of X-Men
by two months and Scott was forced to drop out of production which cost
him a major Wolverine franchise.
JACK NICHOLSON
The Role: Michael Carleone
When Jack Nicholson was approached to play Michael Corleone, he
knew that The Godfather would be a great movie. However, at that time,
he felt that “Indians should play characters written for Indians”. In the
same thread, Nicholson felt that the role of Corleone should be played by
an Italian so he passed up on playing the iconic role. Michael Corleone,
played by Al Pacino, was cited by the American Film Institute as the 11th
most iconic villain in film history.
JOHN TRAVOLTA
The Role: Forrest Gump
John Travolta passed up on playing Forrest Gump…huge mistake.
In 1994, the film became the highest grossing movie in North America.
Tom Hanks was acclaimed for his portrayal of the role, giving him an award
for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role at the Oscars.
Travolta has since admitted to regretting the decision he made.
SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR
The Role: Cher Horowitz
Sarah Michelle Gellar turned down the opportunity to star in the
1995 sleeper hit, Clueless. The character, Cher Horowitz, the rich spoiled
yet sweet girl became so endearing to fans that it brought the then-unknown
Alicia Silverstone worldwide recognition.
BETTE MIDLER
The Role: Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence
The producers of Sister Act agreed that Bette Midler was best suited for
the role. Later on, Midler declined to play the role expressing concerns
about her fans not wanting her to play the role of a nun. The part was
eventually given to Whoopi Goldberg. The film was widely successful,
spawning one sequel and a Broadway musical.
REESE WITHERSPOON
The Role: Sidney Prescott
Thinking that it was just another B-Horror movie, Reese Witherspoon
refused to audition for the role of Sidney Prescott in Wes Craven’s
critically acclaimed slasher film Scream. The role was played by
Neve Campbell instead.
JAKE GYLLENHAAL
The Role: Jake Sully
Had Jake Gyllenhaal proceeded to play the role of Jake Sully in
James Cameron’s Avatar he would now be holding the honour of
starring in the highest grossing film of all time. For those who are
none the wiser, Avatar has a reported box office gross earning
amounting to $2,782,275,172. Whew!
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