10 Actors Who Turned Down Major Roles That Would’ve Completely Changed Hollywood

In the volatile world of Hollywood filmmaking, the difference in one movie’s casting can have a lasting effect on the industry. Many actors have revealed turning down famous roles, like Jim Carrey with Elf or Denzel Washington with Se7en. Of course, there are also infinite examples that haven’t been shown to the public. Actors receive tons of scripts, and it’s impossible to predict which projects will end up as hits. In other cases, scheduling conflicts lead actors to miss out on roles they might have loved to play.

The film industry is highly unpredictable. Trends can spread like wildfire, and acting careers constantly rise and fall. Therefore, the difference of one actor playing a particular role over another can have drastic implications for the industry. While it’s impossible to predict what an actor would’ve done with a famous character, it’s possible to interpret the difference in their career trajectory and the difference in the industry as a whole caused by the change. Hollywood could look totally different in an alternate timeline or universe where actors made other decisions.

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10 Jack Nicholson

Turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather.

Jack Nicholson is one of the greatest actors to ever live, and at the time when Francis Ford Coppola was making The Godfather, he was already on a path to stardom with movies like Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider. In a 2004 Movieline interview, Nicholson described turning down the role, saying, “Italians should play Italians.” He added praise for Al Pacino, who famously played the part. Nicholson’s casting would’ve bolstered his career, as The Godfather is one of the best movies of all time. But more importantly, the absence of Pacino would’ve drastically changed the landscape of mafia movies and Italian-American actors appearing in films.

9 Al Pacino

Turned down the role of Han Solo in Star Wars.

After starring in The Godfather, Al Pacino had a magnificent run of movies in the 1970s. In an IndieWire interview, Pacino shared that his success resulted in receiving numerous offers, including one to play Han Solo in Star Wars, saying, “They offered me so much money. I don’t understand it. I read it. So I said I couldn’t do it.” Al Pacino would’ve been an interesting choice to play the famous character, and his career certainly would’ve become more commercial. However, the absence of Harrison Ford in Star Wars would’ve had a ripple effect on other franchises like Indiana Jones and Blade Runner, parts he likely wouldn’t have received​​​​​.

8 Leonardo DiCaprio

Turned down the role of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.

1997 was a famous year for movies, with Leonardo DiCaprio starring in Titanic, the first film to gross over $1 billion at the box office. However, DiCaprio wouldn’t have appeared in the James Cameron epic if he hadn’t turned down the role of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights, which went to Mark Wahlberg. Paul Thomas Anderson sought him out for the character, which would’ve been a strange re-casting as Wahlberg seems irreplaceable as Diggler. Leonardo DiCaprio was already on a path to becoming a star, but missing out on Titanic would’ve drastically changed his career.

7 Hugh Jackman

Turned down the role of James Bond in Casino Royale.

James Bond is one of the most coveted roles an actor can play, cementing its stars as film icons. Hugh Jackman, already playing Wolverine in the X-Men films, turned down the opportunity to be the next 007. He described his experience to IndieWire: “If I’m doing that and Wolverine, I’ll have no time to do anything else.” An actor aspiring for variety is admirable, and playing both Wolverine and James Bond is possibly too much power for one man to have. Still, it’s interesting to think about how Hugh Jackman’s James Bond would have changed Casino Royale and the larger franchise.

6 Viggo Mortensen

Turned down the role of Wolverine in X-Men.

Before Hugh Jackman was cast as Wolverine in X-Men, director Bryan Singer met with Viggo Mortensen to discuss the role. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Mortensen described his conversation about the role, saying “The thing that bothered me at the time was just the commitment of endless movies of that same character over and over.” Anyone but Hugh Jackman in the role would’ve been a ginormous change, as Jackman is synonymous with Wolverine. Not to mention, Viggo Mortensen’s casting would’ve meant his absence from Lord of the Rings, changing two major franchises.

5 Will Smith

Turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix.

Keanu Reeves famously played Neo in The Matrix, one of the most influential movies on 21st-century action filmmaking. The role was originally offered to Will Smith, which he describes on his YouTube channel, joking, “So I probably would have messed The Matrix up. I would have ruined it, so I did y’all a favor.” While it’s fun to imagine Smith in the role, many of his performances were known for being more charismatic and lively. In contrast, Reeves’ reserved demeanor allowed for the script and style of the Wachowskis to take precedence. Modern action movies would look very different if The Matrix had flopped as Smith imagined,

4 Emily Blunt

Turned down the role of Black Widow in Iron Man 2.

Scarlett Johansson is the highest-grossing actor ever, a statistic that would be completely different if Emily Blunt had taken the role of Black Widow. Blunt was offered the part for Iron Man 2 but forced to decline due to a contractual obligation, which she described to Howard Stern as “a bit of a heartbreaker for me.” Of course, Emily Blunt has done well for herself with a prospering career in various genres of film, but it’s fascinating to imagine her in a key MCU role.

3 Matt Damon

Turned down the role of Jake Sully in Avatar.

In a CNN interview with Chris Wallace, Matt Damon joked about turning down the role in Avatar, saying “I’m sure it’s the most money an actor ever turned down.” ​​​​​​In the late 2000s, Matt Damon had a terrific run with box office hits like the Ocean’s and Bourne movies and starred in a Best Picture winner in The Departed. However, those pale compared to the cultural weight of Avatar, the quintessential 2000s movie that shattered records as a blockbuster. Had he starred in Avatar over Sam Worthington, Damon would be one of the highest-grossing actors ever and the most successful of his generation.​

2 Gwyneth Paltrow

Turned down the role of Rose in Titanic

Before Kate Winslet earned the role of Rose in Titanic, star Gwyneth Paltrow was considered for the role. The actress, who went on to win an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love only a couple of years later, described turning down the role in a 2015 interview with Howard Stern. Given her popularity at the time, Paltrow could’ve been a fine choice, but Winslet and DiCaprio’s chemistry was lightning in a bottle that might not have worked with another star in either role.

1 Robert Redford

Turned down the role of Superman in Superman

Before Christopher Reeve was cast to play his iconic role in Superman, several A-list actors were considered for the role. This included Burt Reynolds, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert Redford. Redford was offered a large sum of money but turned it down. This was a good instinct, as Robert Redford’s established fame and notoriety would’ve taken away from the authenticity Reeve brought to the character. The potential flop of the 1978 classic could’ve had an enormous ripple in the film industry, as its success paved the way for dozens of subsequent superhero movies.

Sources: Movieline, IndieWire, Happy Sad Confused, Howard Stern