When you hear tales of an actor turning down a role that is impossible to imagine without the person who wound up playing them in the role, it can be hard to wrap your head around. But it can be even harder for an actor to successfully predict which roles are going to stand the test of time. Especially when there’s contracts involved. Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic roles that were passed on by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Will Smith as Neo in ‘The Matrix’
Perhaps the funniest thing about stories like these is seeing where actors went instead due to a lack of confidence in the now iconic roles. Will Smith was the Wachowskis’ first choice to play the main hero in their groundbreaking sci-fi trilogy; however Smith turned down the role because he didn’t understand the role, story, or vision for the film at the time. He cites not thinking he would have been able to give the role the respect that it deserved. Instead, he starred in Wild Wild West, one of the most famous critical and financial bombs of the actor’s career. Yikes.
Emily Blunt as Black Widow in the MCU
‘Iron Man 2’Credit: Walt Disney Studios
Scarlett Johansson is one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood history thanks to her role as Natasha Romanoff in the MCU films. And there was almost a world where she wasn’t even considered for the part. Actress Emily Blunt was the first choice for the role, and was actually under contract for it for some time. However, since the character was due to make her debut in Iron Man 2, Blunt was forced to back out of the project due to a contract she had to star in the Jack Black 2010 fantasy comedy, Gulliver’s Travels. And like Will Smith’s pivoted film, that one pretty obviously didn’t do as well as the MCU films, both critically and financially.
Jack Nicholson as Michael Corleone in ‘The Godfather’
Funny enough, this decision on Nicholson’s part was not at all due to thoughts of project failure, or contractual obligations. His primary reason for declining this iconic role was that he felt that the character should be portrayed by an Italian performer. While the studio desperately tried to avoid casting a then-unknown Al Pacino in the role, Nicholson quietly rejected it.
Furthermore, the version of the script that Nicholson read didn’t at the time contain any shared scenes with him and Marlon Brando, which was an additional turnoff for him. To think there was a time when Al Pacino was seen as new and unbankable is hard to wrap our heads around today, but thankfully he busted that door wide open with his eventual embodiment of the role.
Michelle Pfeiffer as Clarice Starling in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’
‘The Silence of the Lambs’Credit: Orion Pictures
Pfeiffer was director Jonathon Demme’s first choice to play the lead FBI role in the film, however she turned down the role citing her disdain for the exceedingly dark subject matter at the center of the film. Foster then lobbied for the role, describing her love for the original novel. The role inevitably went her way, earning her her second Academy Award for Leading Actress. Pfeiffer has since described her decision to pass on the role as one of the biggest regrets of her career since it would have happily reunited her with director, Jonathan Demme, who she had previously worked with on the film, Married to the Mob.
Sean Connery as Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’
This could not be a more perfect performer to film combination if it tried. In nearly the exact same trajectory as Pfeiffer and Foster, Connery was initially offered the role by Demme, but turned it down due to the graphic nature of the film. He had absolutely no interest in the role, and the pivot toward Anthony Hopkins resulted in one of the most iconic performances in movie history…as well as a Best Actor Oscar for Hopkins, despite only having around fifteen minutes of screen time in the entire film.
Hugh Jackman as James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’
‘Casino Royale’Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing
Hats off to Jackman for having the foresight to reject this role for the reason that he did. When Pierce Brosnan was nearing the end of his tenure for the titular character of James Bond, Hugh Jackman was approached by the film’s producers to potentially take over for him in the franchise reboot. However, Hugh Jackman was just sinking his claws into Wolverine in the X-Men films and was concerned about having two major franchise roles fighting for his attention. He subsequently turned the role down, and Craig took over, much to everyone’s satisfaction.
