11 Characters That Many Actors Refused to Play, But Ended Up Becoming Iconic

It is very common in the film industry for actors to turn down roles that are offered to them by major studios or directors. And they might have different reasons for this, like being too busy working on a different project, low pay, uninteresting script. However, sometimes actors regret their decisions because the movies turned out to be iconic. Will Smith, for example, was called to play Neo in The Matrix, but decided not to star in an action fantasy film. While Keanu Reeves has become a superstar and is now grateful to Will for turning him down the role at the time.

We, from awesome.clubwe decided to find out which other actors turned down certain roles that later became iconic.

Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Forest Whitaker, as well as other well-known actors such as Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Duvall, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro were considered for the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. But all of them, for various reasons, were removed from the film project.

Sean Connery, for example, called the script “disgusting” and turned down the offer. And Robert De Niro thought for a long time about whether or not to star in the film. The director didn’t wait for De Niro’s response, as Anthony Hopkins didn’t hesitate to play Hannibal, and ended up winning an Oscar.

It is worth remembering that Anthony received many other awards and nominations for his incredible performance, and Hannibal, played by the actor, was recognized as the greatest villain in cinema.

Richard Gere played influential businessman Edward Lewis in this melodramatic comedy. For his performance, the actor was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. But the role of Edward could have gone to someone else like Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta. However, they all turned down the character for different reasons.

In this Oscar-winning thriller, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, actor James Caan played the lead role of writer Paul Sheldon. For this performance, he was nominated for a Saturn Award. However, before it was finally confirmed to film, the starring role was offered to Michael Douglas, Al Pacino, Mel Gibson, as well as Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis. But everyone refused. Interestingly, Bruce Willis played this role on Broadway years later.

In the Breaking Bad series, which later became a cult classic, one of the main characters is played by Bryan Cranston. He was chosen by series creator Vince Gilligan based on his experience working with him on The X-Files, where Bryan starred in one of the episodes. According to Vince, Walter White was supposed to be both repulsive and likable, and Bryan is the only actor who could play such a character.

But the producers didn’t like that idea and called in John Cusack and Matthew Broderick. However, when both actors declined, studio heads agreed to cast Bryan in the role of Walter White.

Michael Shannon, in Zack Snyder’s film, played the main villain General Zod, who arrived from the planet Krypton to invade and enslave Earth. Interestingly, this general could have been played by Viggo Mortensen or Daniel Day-Lewis instead of Michael.

In that superhero movie, Willem Dafoe played scientist Norman Osborn, who later becomes the Green Goblin, a villain who seeks to destroy Spider-Man. But Mel Gibson, John Travolta, Robert De Niro and some other actors, such as John Malkovich, Nicolas Cage and Jim Carrey, were also called to play this role. However, all refused to participate in the film project.

Director Sam Raimi, after several meetings with Willem, was finally convinced that the actor was ideal for this role.

In this war drama, Captain John Miller, who was ordered to find Ryan and deliver him to headquarters, was played by Tom Hanks. Although Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford were originally considered for the role, director Steven Spielberg preferred Tom Hanks.

The main character of this historical film is Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Spanish-Roman successor who wants to take revenge on Commodus. Russell Crowe played the gladiator and he did it so convincingly that he won an Oscar and other awards and nominations.

But all this might not have happened if Maximus had been played by another actor who was offered this role, such as Antonio Banderas, Hugh Jackman or Mel Gibson. The latter refused, as he considered himself too old for the role of the gladiator, as he was just over 40 at the time.

In this psychological thriller directed by Joel Schumacher, the main character, Stuart Shepard, an arrogant and dishonest publicist, was played by Colin Farrell, showing a brilliant performance. Critics praised his performance, stating, “Colin’s fast pace and acting help make Hanging By a Thread so tense you’ll bite your nails.”

But this role was first offered to Mark Wahlberg, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise and a few other actors such as Will Smith, Mel Gibson and Jim Carrey. All refused him for different reasons. In particular, Carrey agreed, but then he gave up, called the director in the evening and turned down the difficult character. Mark Wahlberg chose to star in Planet of the Apes (2001).

In that film, one of the two main roles, that of corrupt detective Alonzo Harris, was played by Denzel Washington. The film received numerous awards and nominations, and Denzel’s inimitable performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

However, the role of Alonzo was originally offered to Gary Sinise, Tom Sizemore and Bruce Willis, and they all turned it down.

As many remember, in this comedy about journalist Bruce Nolan, the role of God was played by Morgan Freeman. And it was originally planned that Jack Nicholson or Robert De Niro would act instead of him, but both chose not to participate in the film.

In your opinion, would any of these films have been even better if the actors who were originally given the roles had accepted them?