These 10 Celebs Decided To Revive Their Past Characters, While These 10 Others Chose To Leave Them Behind

    Who chose to say hello again, and who chose to say goodbye for good?

    Devin Herenda
    by Devin Herenda

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Every actor has a specific approach to their work — some performers love to revisit their past roles...

    Sirens Media / Via giphy.com

    ...while others would never go back to a character once a project has been completed.

    CBS / Via giphy.com

    These 10 actors reprised a famous role of theirs, while a separate group of 10 celebs chose to walk away from their iconic parts.

    Actors who returned to their well-known roles:

    1. Ralph Macchio

    Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso fights in "The Karate Kid" and wears the same competition outfit again for "Cobra Kai"
    Columbia Pictures, Counterbalance Entertainment / Via youtube.com

    Ralph returned to portray Daniel LaRusso, whom he played in three previous Karate Kid movies, for the series Cobra Kai. In the show, Daniel now owns a car dealership in the San Fernando Valley, which isn't what Ralph anticipated the character would be doing with his life.

    "[Daniel is] not exactly the person I envisioned he would become," Ralph said on The View in January 2022. "[Daniel's status] adds great story and conflict, and it also pushes me to go outside of what I might have envisioned or written in my mind."

    William Zabka and Martin Kove also appear in their Karate Kid roles for the show.

    Cobra Kai has had four seasons thus far, and its Season 5 premiere date is yet to be announced. 

    2. Saved by the Bell cast members

    Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren as Jessie Spano, Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater, Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Morris, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris sit in The Max and laugh in a "Saved by the Bell" reboot episode
    Peacock / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Lark Voorhies, Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez, Tiffani Thiessen, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar have all made appearances as their iconic Saved by the Bell characters for the reboot of the classic '90s sitcom. Elizabeth and Mario play Jessie and A.C. Slater as series regulars.

    A tribute to cast member Dustin Diamond, who died in 2021, was included in Season 2 of the Peacock series.

    3. Jamie Lee Curtis

    Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie appears in the "Halloween" trailer and visits Frank in the hospital in "Halloween Kills"
    Compass International Pictures, Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com youtube.com

    Jamie started portraying Laurie Strode in the classic slasher flick, Halloween, in 1978. She's reprised the part in seven different projects, including a trilogy reboot that kicked off in 2018 and will continue with the upcoming movie, Halloween Ends. 

    This will be her last time playing Laurie, Jamie revealed in a now-deleted Instagram post from February 2022, per People.

    "A bittersweet END for me on the Halloween movies," Jamie wrote alongside onset photos. "I've made great friends and have collaborated with wonderful artists on these three movies, and today my part in the film has been completed and with it the END for me of this trilogy."

    4. Harrison Ford

    Harrison Ford plays Han Solo in the original "Star Wars" film and again in "Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens"
    Lucasfilm / Via youtube.com youtube.com

    Harrison has returned for numerous Star Wars films as Han Solo, as well as the titular role throughout the the Indiana Jones franchise. He additionally portrayed Rick Deckard in two Blade Runner films.

    The fifth Indiana Jones film recently wrapped its filming schedule and will be out in 2023.

    5. Anthony Perkins

    Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates greets a guest and talks on the phone in "Psycho" and "Psycho II"
    Shamley Productions, Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com youtube.com

    Decades after he played Norman Bates in Psycho, Anthony went on to play the character in three follow-up films, with the last one being released in 1990.

    "I've long since [Psycho] tried to forget about disassociating myself with the specter of Norman Bates ... I've got to give into that rather than resist it," Anthony said to journalist Bobbie Wygant as he promoted Psycho II in1983.

    6. Raven-Symoné

    Raven talks to the Boyz 'N Motion in "That's So Raven," and in "Raven's Home," Raven volunteers to help out at her kids' school
    Disney Channel, It's a Laugh Productions

    In 2017, Raven's Home premiered, with Raven again playing the lead role in the reboot of the Disney Channel sitcom. Other original cast members like Anneliese van der Pol and Rondell Sheridan have also reprised theirThat's So Raven characters for the show, which has been renewed for a fifth season.

    As the first season was being filmed, Raven said she felt at ease going back to her Disney roots.

    "It feels like I never left actually," Raven said to Clevver News in 2017. "There's a lot of people from That's So Raven that came and joined us in the production of this one ... it just feels very much like home, like I just went on vacation for a real long time."

    7. Sylvester Stallone

    Sylvester Stallone wears a black hat as he plays Rocky Balboa in "Rocky" and "Creed"
    Chartoff-Winkler Productions , Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com youtube.com

    Sylvester first played his well-known role of Rocky Balboa in 1976. He's since continued to play Rocky in numerous other movies, including the recent films starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson, Creed and Creed II. 

    The actor ended up winning his first-ever Golden Globe for Creed in 2016. 

    Separately, Sylvester has starred as John Rambo in five films spanning from 1982 to 2019.

    8. iCarly cast members

    Nathan Kress as Freddie, Jerry Trainor as Spencer, and Miranda Cosgrove as Carly appear in the "iCarly" reboot trailer
    Paramount+ / Via youtube.com

    For the Paramount+ iCarly reboot, Miranda Cosgrove, Jerry Trainor, and Nathan Kress have reprised their roles from the Nickelodeon series. Jennette McCurdy, however, decided not to revisit her iCarly character, Sam, in the show, which includes more adult content for mature fans of the '00s sitcom.

    "It's pretty much eight years after the old [show] ended. It's just all the same characters and what they're going through now, now that we're older," Miranda said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in August 2021. "And it's a much more mature take. We're doing stuff in this one we couldn't do in the old."

    The reboot is set to return for a second season on April 8.

    9. Ellen DeGeneres

    Ellen DeGeneres voices Dory in "Finding Nemo" and "Finding Dory"
    PIxar Animation Studios / Via youtube.com youtube.com

    Finding Dory was released in 2016, 13 years after Finding Nemo premiered. Ellen tried to get the sequel made for years before she was able to reprise the role of Dory. Albert Brooks, Bob Peterson, and Andrew Stanton also returned to voice their roles of Marlin, Mr. Ray, and Crush.

    "It's a good example of what you can achieve if you really want something bad enough," Ellen said when she announced the sequel on her show.

    "'What's the saying? 'If your mind can conceive it and your heart can believe it, then get on TV and beg for it until the people at Disney make it come true,'" she jokingly added.

    10. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels

    Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd and Harry read a postcard in "Dumb and Dumber To"
    Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com

    Jim and Jeff played best friends Lloyd and Harry in Dumb and Dumber, and it wasn't until 20 years later, in 2014, that they revisited the characters for Dumb and Dumber To. 

    "Honestly, this was a fan-motivated thing," Jim said while promoting Dumb and Dumber To. "This was like no other thing ... [the fans] would not leave us alone ... At a certain point I looked at the film, and I was like, you know, I really like these characters, and I think the world needs these characters again."

    Actors who said no to reprising a famous role:

    11. Daniel Radcliffe

    Daniel Radcliffe arrives at the "Lost City" screening on March 14, 2022
    Monica Schipper / Getty Images for Paramount Pictures

    In November 2021, Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, said he'd like to direct Daniel and other original cast members for a film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Daniel recently responded to this idea and said he won't be reprising the part of Harry Potter any time soon.

    "I’m getting to a point where I feel like I made it out of Potter OK, and I’m really happy with where I am now, and to go back would be such a massive change to my life," Daniel told The New York Times.

    "I’m never going to say never, but the Star Wars guys had like 30, 40 years before they went back. For me, it’s only been 10. It’s not something I’m really interested in doing right now," he added.

    12. Kristen Wiig

    Kristen Wiig walks the red carpet of the 2021 Golden Globe Awards
    Todd Williamson / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Kristen maintains that she won't be playing the character of Annie again in a second Bridesmaids movie, although she has a lot of love for the film.

    “We have said we weren’t really interested in, like, going back and writing another [Bridesmaids film], but I just don’t want it to be translated as a negative thing, because we obviously love the movie," she said in a 2021 SiriusXM interview with Annie Mumolo, who co-wrote the 2011 comedy with Kristen.

    "We feel like we told that story, and we're just so excited to do other things," Kristen added.

    13. Kim Cattrall

    Kim Cattrall is photographed as she appears as Margaret in an episode of "Filthy Rich"
    Fox / FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

    Kim may have returned to play her Sex and the City character, Samantha Jones, for two film spinoffs based on the hit series, but she has not appeared in the most recent revival of the show, And Just Like That...

    In 2017, four years before this reboot began, Kim said she would not go back to her Sex and the City role during an interview with Piers Morgan.

    “This is about a clear decision, an empowered decision in my life, to end one chapter and start another. I'm 61. It's now,” she said.

    14. Keanu Reeves

    Keanu Reeves walks the red carpet of the "Matrix: Resurrections" premiere in San Francisco
    Steve Jennings / Getty Images

    In a 2022 episode of The Graham Norton Show, Keanu was asked why he said no to Speed 2: Cruise Control. He explained that he wanted to work with Sandra Bullock again and loved portraying Jack Traven in Speed, but ultimately didn't connect to the screenplay of the sequel.

    "I didn't respond to the script," Keanu said. 

    "It was really just the time of my life and where the script was ... I'm sure we've all had this kind of feeling sometimes, when things just don't feel right, and that was how I was feeling," he added.

    15. Dylan and Cole Sprouse

    Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse are pictured at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on February 09, 2020
    Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

    In 2020, Dylan said he could "confidently" state that he and Cole wouldn't do a Suite Life of Zack & Cody reboot.

    "That was a chapter, I think, of both of our separate lives or together life, that was just a role at the time," he told iHollywoodTV. "You see these reboots happening, and it's kind of fan-service-y, and I honestly just think that usually they're not as good [as the originals]."

    When he spoke to Drew Barrymore in 2021, Cole echoed this opinion and said he and Dylan would "absolutely not" revive these roles due to the delicate nature of reboots.

    "Reboots are a tricky thing, you know?" Cole said. "The original shows, when they become successful, sit within this golden little plate of nostalgia. And when you modernize it and go back to it, it has the potential to really disenfranchise the original fanbase. So it’s a very, very touchy thing."

    16. Julie Andrews

    Julie Andrews poses as she visits "Watch What Happens Live" in 2019
    Bravo / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Director Rob Marshall told Entertainment Weekly in 2017 that Julie was in full support of casting Emily Blunt in the lead part for Mary Poppins Returns. Julie felt that it would be best for her to not appear in the film, however, as she instead wanted to let Emily take centerstage.

    “Julie was incredibly gracious, and we talked about it in a very general way, but she made it clear right up front," Rob said. "She said, ‘This is Emily’s show, and I really want it to be Emily’s show. I don’t want it to be, "Oh, here comes that Mary Poppins," ... I really want her to take this and run with it, because she will be brilliant.'"

    17. Marlon Brando

    Marlon Brando smiles as he's photographed in Paris circa 1996
    Pool Lenhof / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

    In May 1973, director Francis Ford Coppola asked Marlon to return to the role of Vito Corleone for The Godfather: Part II, the Daily Mail reported in 2019. Marlon ultimately declined this offer, which resulted in Robert De Niro, a then little-known actor, portraying a young Don Vito in the sequel.

    18. Jodie Foster

    Jodie Foster arrives at the annual L.A. Dance Project gala event in 2021
    Amy Sussman / Getty Images

    Jodie decided to walk away from her role of Clarice Starling when she said no to starring in Hannibal, a follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs. The Guardian reported that she was unhappy with the screenplay as she announced this choice in 1999. As a result, Julianne Moore played the role of Clarice.

    19. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

    Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen arrive at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards on June 4, 2018
    Michael Stewart / FilmMagic / Getty Images

    Mary-Kate and Ashley chose not to make any appearances as Michelle Tanner throughout Fuller House, the Netflix reboot of Full House. Their previous Full House costar, John Stamos, later commented on the situation and said he accepted Mary-Kate and Ashley's decision.

    "[The cast members were] disappointed, but we understood," John said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2021. "I remember Lori [Loughlin] saying to me, ... 'They won ... two or three CFDA [Fashion] Awards. That's like winning two or three Oscars. If you won three Oscars, would you come back and do this?' I was like, 'Eh, maybe not.'"

    20. Will Ferrell

    Will Ferrell is photographed at the premiere of "The Shrink Next Door" in 2021
    Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

    Will was offered a whopping $29 million to reprise his role of Buddy in Elf. Although a sequel had been written, he declined this proposition since he felt it would just be a money grab. 

    “I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money,’” Will told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.’”