20 actors who TURNED DOWN huge movie roles 😱

How different would these films have been?

Published 19th Apr 2022
Last updated 28th Apr 2022

The film industry is a competitive business, but sometimes famous actors get offered a role that they just don't want to do. From Gwyneth Paltrow to Hugh Jackman, some pretty huge names have turned down roles in box office hits such as Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean and even James Bond.

Even the legendary Will Smith has turned down a huge role in his time - he was originally offered the role of Neo in The Matrix, however, as we all know, this was eventually played by Keanu Reeves.

Here are 20 actors who rejected huge movie roles:

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose - Titanic


Kate Winslet played Rose in Titanic after Paltrow turned it down.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway, Tiffany - Silver Linings Playbook


Jennifer Lawrence swooped in and won an Oscar - Ouch!

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington, Detective David Mills - Se7en


Denzel passed up on the role of David because the film was too dark.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie - Gravity


Sandra Bullock took the lead when Angelina dropped out of the project.

Al Pacino

Al Pacino, Hans Solo - Star Wars Episode IV


He turned down the role because he didn't understand the story, thankfully Harrison Ford did!

Bill Murray

Bill Murray, Forrest - Forrest Gump


Bill rejected the role of Forrest Gump and Tom Hanks picked it up and ran with it

Sir Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen, Dumbledore - Harry Potter


Michael Gambon took over, McKellen can't be all of the wizards…

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman, Bond - James Bond

Maybe he could be next one?

Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill - The Hangover


Jonah said no to a part in The Hangover to focus on dramatic acting.

Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson, Michael Corleone - The Godfather


He turned down the role as he felt it was made for Al Pacino.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey, Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean


Can you imagine anyone other than Johnny Depp?

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner, Andy Dufresne - The Shawshank Redemption


Kevin rejected the part and Tim Robbins made a quick escape with the role.

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson, Maximus - Gladiator


Mel turned down the role of Maximus and Russell Crowe stepped in.

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton, Phil - Groundhog Day


He turned down the role in Groundhog Day, the part went to Bill Murray.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio, Patrick Bateman - American Psycho


Christian Bale took the role of Patrick Bateman when Leo wasn't interested.

Matt Damon

Matt Damon, Two-Face - The Dark Knight


Aaron Eckhart took the role of Two-Face after Matt rejected it.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer, Vivian - Pretty Woman


Michelle turned down the role as she didn't like the tone of the script.

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage, Aragorn - The Lord of the Rings


Nic Cage turned down the role so Viggo Mortensen stepped up.

Sir Sean Connery

Sir Sean Connery, Gandalf - The Lord of the Rings


He handed it over to Sir Ian McKellen, who he describes as 'marvellous'.

Will Smith

Will Smith, Neo - The Matrix


Will rejected the part of Neo and Keanu Reeves got the job.

Below are some iconic clips from films that were turned down by famous actors.

Angelina Jolie was offered the role of astronaut Ryan Stone in the 2013 film Gravity, but she turned it down and it was offered to Sandra Bullock. Amazingly Sandra was also on the verge of also turning down the role, but luckily she didn't and it gave her an Academy Award nomination.

'The Fresh Prince's Will Smith was originally offered the role of computer programmer Neo in The Matrix. When he turned it down it was also offered to Nicolas Cage, Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer, all of whom also turned it down. The role was eventually played by Keanu Reeves.

Gwyneth Paltrow turned down the role of Rose in the 1997 disaster film Titanic, now we can't imagine anyone by Kate Winslet playing the part.

Madness!

Now read:

30 popular actors who switched soaps

All of the TV shows we can’t wait to return

The biggest movies to look forward to in 2022

How to listen to Clyde 1:

For great music and incredible competitions tune into Clyde 1 on 102.5FM, online, on our Clyde 1 app, your DAB radio, or say ‘Play Clyde 1’ on your Smart Speaker. We play you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists. You’ll find new favourites every day and hear the songs you've missed from the last few years. From Bowie@Breakfast in the morning, to the latest on Scottish Football with Superscoreboard every weeknight and Saturday afternoon.