100 Actors Who’ve Turned Down Big Movie Roles

By Shane Rivers

The Hollywood casting process is often a tricky one, and sometimes a role will be passed up by numerous actors before someone accepts it. In other cases, an injury or prior contractual obligation will force an actor to withdraw from a film. Ultimately, the picture still gets made, but it‘s hard not to wonder what might have been. Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones? Meg Ryan as Clarice Starling? Just take a look at these 100 actors who’ve turned down big movie roles, and imagine a bizarro world where Burt Ward accepted the role of Benjamin Braddock and rocketed to fame instead of Dustin Hoffman (#47).

Actors Who Turned Down Big Movie Roles

  1. David Boreanaz turned down the role of Batman in Batman Begins. The part went to Christian Bale.
  2. Mickey Rourke turned down the role of Eliot Ness in The Untouchables. The part went to Kevin Costner.
  3. Jean-Claude Van Damme was replaced as the villainous alien in Predator. The part went to Kevin Peter Hall.
  4. Alec Baldwin turned down the role of Richard Kimball in The Fugitive. The part went to Harrison Ford.
  5. Christian Bale dropped out of the role of George W. Bush in the film W.. The part then went to Josh Brolin.
  6. Keanu Reeves turned down the role of Pvt. Chris Taylor in Platoon. The part went to Charlie Sheen.
  7. Nicolas Cage turned down the role of Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler. The part went to Mickey Rourke.
  8. John Malkovich turned down the role of The Green Goblin in Spider-Man. The part went to Willem Dafoe.
  9. John Travolta turned down the role of Forrest Gump. The part went to Tom Hanks.
  10. Russell Crowe turned down the role of Wolverine in the X-Men movie. The part eventually went to Hugh Jackman.
  11. Mel Gibson turned down the role of General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator. The part went to Russell Crowe.
  12. Tom Selleck had to drop out of the role of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The part went to Harrison Ford.
  13. Arnold Schwarzenegger was initially offered the role of Kyle Reese in The Terminator. He was later recast as the killer robot from the future.
  14. Edward Norton turned down the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. The part went to Christian Bale.
  15. Morgan Freeman was offered a lead role in Jurassic Park, but he turned it down.
  16. Mark Wahlberg turned down the role of Linus Caldwell in Ocean’s 11. The part went to Matt Damon.
  17. Tom Hanks turned down the role of Jerry Maguire in Jerry Maguire. The part went to Tom Cruise.
  18. Warren Beatty turned down the role of Jack Horner in Boogie Nights. The part went to Burt Reynolds.
  19. Leonardo DiCaprio accepted and later passed on the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. In case you’ve forgotten since #14, the part went to Christian Bale.
  20. Stephen Baldwin turned down the role of Jack Traven in Speed. The part went to Keanu Reeves.
  21. Dougray Scott had to back out of the role of Wolverine in the X-Men movie. The part went to Hugh Jackman.
  22. Mickey Rourke turned down the role of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. The part went to Eddie Murphy.
  23. William Hurt turned down the role of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. The part went to Sam Neill.
  24. Nicolas Cage turned down the role of the Green Goblin in Spider-Man. The part went to Willem Dafoe.
  25. Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The part went to Ian McKellen. It’s interesting to note that Connery cost himself $400 million dollars by passing on the part (he was offered 15% of the film’s profit).
  26. Tom Hanks turned down the role of Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams. The part went to Kevin Costner.
  27. James Caviezel had to back out of the role of Cyclops in the X-Men movie. The part went to James Marsden.
  28. James Marsden turned down the role of Shane O’Shea in 54. The part went to Ryan Phillippe.
  29. Mel Gibson turned down the role of Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The part went to Kevin Costner.
  30. Warren Beatty turned down the role of Paul Sheldon in Misery. The part went to James Caan.
  31. Denzel Washington turned down the role of Det. Del Spooner in I, Robot. The part went to Will Smith.
  32. Nicolas Cage turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix. The part went to Keanu Reeves.
  33. Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix. Once again, it went to Keanu Reeves.
  34. Will Smith turned down the role of Stu Shepard in Phone Booth. The part went to Colin Farrell.
  35. Tom Hanks turned down the role of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption. The part went to Tim Robbins.
  36. Cary Grant turned down the role of James Bond in Dr. No. The part went to Sean Connery.
  37. Michael Madsen turned down the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. The part went to John Travolta.
  38. Mickey Rourke turned down the role of Jack Crawford in Silence of the Lambs. The part went to Scott Glenn.
  39. Steve McQueen turned down the role of Sundance in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The part went to Robert Redford.
  40. Leonardo DiCaprio turned down the role of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights. The part went to Mark Wahlberg.
  41. Denzel Washington turned down the role of Curtis Taylor, Jr. in Dreamgirls. The part went to Jamie Foxx.
  42. Mickey Rourke turned down the role of Det. Sgt. Jack Cates in 48 Hrs.. The part went to Nick Nolte.
  43. Warren Beatty turned down the role of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. The part went to Michael Douglas.
  44. Wesley Snipes turned down the role of Hale Caesar in The Expendables. The part went to Terry Crews.
  45. Steve McQueen turned down the role of Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection. The part went to Gene Hackman.
  46. Mickey Rourke turned down the role of Johnny Ringo in Tombstone. The part went to Michael Biehn.
  47. Burt Ward turned down the role of Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate. The part went to Dustin Hoffman.
  48. Steve McQueen turned down the role of Captain Benjamin Willard in Apocalypse Now. The part went to Martin Sheen.
  49. Mickey Rourke turned down the role of Connor MacLeod in Highlander. The part went to Christopher Lambert.
  50. Warren Beatty turned down the role of Johnny Hooker in The Sting. The part went to Robert Redford.
  51. Anthony Michael Hall was cast and later replaced in the role of Joker in Full Metal Jacket. The part went to Matthew Modine.
  52. Steve McQueen turned down the role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The part went to Richard Dreyfuss.
  53. Dustin Hoffman turned down the role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
  54. Al Pacino turned down the role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
  55. Gene Hackman turned down the role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
  56. Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
  57. Lee Marvin turned down the role of Pike Bishop in The Wild Bunch. The part went to William Holden.
  58. Brian Keith turned down the role of Deke Thornton in The Wild Bunch. The part went to Robert Ryan.
  59. Rod Steiger turned down the role of General George S. Patton. The part went to George C. Scott.
  60. Kurt Cobain turned down the role of Lance in Pulp Fiction. The part went to Eric Stoltz.
  61. Ian Asbury (singer for The Cult) turned down the role of Jim Morrison in The Doors. The part went to Val Kilmer.
  62. Sid Haig turned down the role of Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction. The part went to Ving Rhames.
  63. Gig Young was replaced in his role as The Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles. The part went to Gene Wilder.
  64. Lee Marvin turned down the role of Quint in Jaws. The part went to Robert Shaw.
  65. Sterling Hayden turned down the role of Quint in Jaws. Just like the last time, Robert Shaw snagged the role.

Actresses Who Turned Down Big Movie Roles

  1. Michelle Pfeiffer turned down the role of Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. The part went to Jodi Foster.
  2. Geena Davis turned down the role of Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs.
  3. Linda Hamilton dropped out of the role of Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs.
  4. Melanie Griffith turned down the role of Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs.
  5. Meg Ryan dropped out of the role of Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs.
  6. Jennifer Jason Leigh turned down the role of Vivian in Pretty Woman. The part went to Julia Roberts.
  7. Sarah Michelle Gellar turned down the role of Cher in Clueless. The part went to Alicia Silverstone.
  8. Molly Ringwald turned down the role of Vivian in Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts got the part.
  9. Sigourney Weaver turned down the role of Ada in The Accused. The part went to Kelly McGillis.
  10. Gillian Anderson turned down the role of Bethany Sloane in Dogma. The part went to Linda Fiorentino.
  11. Julia Roberts turned down the role of Annie in Sleepless in Seattle. The part went to Meg Ryan.
  12. Sigourney Weaver turned down the role of Offred in A Handmaid’s Tale. The part went to Natasha Richardson.
  13. Sandra Bullock turned down the role of Trinity in The Matrix. The part went to Carrie-Ann Moss.
  14. Molly Ringwald turned down the role of Molly in Ghost. The part went to Demi Moore.
  15. Madonna turned down the role of Susie Diamond in The Fabulous Baker Boys. The part went to Michelle Pfeiffer.
  16. Mariel Hemingway turned down the role of Iris in Taxi Driver. The part went to Jodi Foster.
  17. Julia Roberts turned down the role of Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love. The part went to Gwyneth Paltrow.
  18. Natalie Portman turned down the role of Wendy Hood in The Ice Storm. The part went to Christina Ricci.
  19. Nicole Kidman had to drop out of the role of Hanna Schmitz in The Reader. The part went to Kate Winslet.
  20. Michelle Pfeiffer dropped out of the role of Thelma in Thelma & Louise. The part went to Geena Davis.
  21. Melanie Griffith turned down the role of Thelma in Thelma & Louise.
  22. Gwyneth Paltrow turned down the role of Rose Dawson in Titanic. The part went to Kate Winslet.
  23. Anne Hathaway dropped out of the role of Allison Scott in Knocked Up. The part went to Katherine Heigl.
  24. Jodie Foster dropped out of the part of Louise in Thelma & Louise. The part went to Susan Sarandon.
  25. Jennifer Love Hewitt dropped out of the role of Mary Fiore in The Wedding Planner. The part went to Jennifer Lopez.
  26. Julia Roberts turned down the role of Lucy in While You Were Sleeping. The part went to Sandra Bullock.
  27. Sean Young had to drop out of the role of Vicki Vale in Batman. The part went to Kim Basinger.
  28. Meg Tilly had to drop out of the role of Constanze Mozart in Amadeus. The part went to Elizabeth Berridge.
  29. Brooke Shields turned down the role of Roxy in Basic Instinct. The part went to Leilani Sarelle.
  30. Julia Roberts turned down the role of Mary Corleone in Godfather III. The part went to Sofia Coppola.
  31. Jodie Foster turned down the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct. The part went to Sharon Stone.
  32. Ellen Barkin turned down the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct.
  33. Nicole Kidman turned down the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct.
  34. Kim Basinger turned down the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct.
  35. Julia Roberts turned down the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct.