18 Actors Who Turned Down Huge TV And Movie Roles, And Whether They Regret It

"I'm not proud of it."

Once a role becomes pretty *iconic*, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part! These actors turned down some pretty big roles, and while some have some serious regrets, there's a few who reckon everything worked out for the best:

1. Hugh Jackman as James Bond in Casino Royale

Taylor Hill / FilmMagic, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Jackman told Indiewire he was frustrated by being boxed in and was receiving a lot of hero action star roles. So when the opportunity for Bond came in, he wasn't really interested. He says, “I was like, ‘If I’m doing that and Wolverine, I’ll have no time to do anything else.’ I clearly find it more interesting to play people who color outside the lines.”

2. Emily Blunt as Black Widow in Iron Man 2

Kevin Mazur / Getty Images, Marvel Studios

In an interview with Howard Stern, Blunt revealed it was "a bit of a heartbreaker." The decision was due to contractual obligations, with Blunt saying "I was contracted to do Gulliver's Travels. I didn't want to do Gulliver's Travels." 

3. Jason Biggs as Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother

John Lamparski / Getty Images, CBS

On SiriusXM’s The Covino & Rich Show, he called it his "biggest regret" and explained he was unsure about making the move into TV. 

"I think I was in a phase of, at the time — it sounds so, so obnoxious to say right now — but at the time it was like, ‘OK, do I want to do TV?’ I don’t know that I was quite ready to go that route.”"

4. Christina Applegate as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde

Steve Granitz / WireImage, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Speaking to Vanity Fair, she explains that she initially turned it down because it felt too similar to Married... With Children. She joked that if she'd taken the role she'd have "Witherspoon money" but says that, much like us, she can't imagine anyone other than Reese in the iconic role. 

5. Josh Hartnett as Batman in Batman Begins

Jeff Spicer / Jeff Spicer / Getty Images, Warner Bros.

Though nobody could have predicted just how massive that trilogy would be, in 2015 the actor expressed some regrets on not going forward with the role out of fear of being typecast. Hartnett said, "I should have been part of the relationship with this guy Nolan, who I felt was incredibly cool and very talented." 

“I was so focused on not being pigeonholed and so scared of being considered only one thing as an actor. I should have thought, ‘Well, then, work harder, man’”. Watching Christian Bale go on to do so many other things has been just awesome. I mean, he’s been able to overcome that. Why couldn’t I see that at the time?”"

6. Rob Lowe as Derek Shepherd in Grey's Anatomy

Jon Kopaloff / WireImage, ABC

If he had taken the role, we never would have gotten Chris Traeger! That seems reason enough for Lowe to have no regrets, telling Variety "“Had I done Grey’s, I wouldn’t have been in Parks and Recreation. That alone for me is enough."

7. Rachel McAdams as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada

Jon Kopaloff / WireImage, Fox 2000 Pictures

Rachel actually turned down a string of big roles and told Bustle "There’s certainly things like ‘I wish I’d done that.’” Though says when when looking back she thinks, "‘That was the right person for that.’” All in all it seems like things turned out for the best, and she doesn't regret her break, saying “There were definitely some anxious moments of wondering if I was just throwing it all away, and why was I doing that? It’s taken years to understand what I intuitively was doing.”

8. McKauley Culkin as Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory

Steve Granitz / WireImage, CBS

On The Joe Rogan Experience, Culkin explained he was approached several times for the role but it just didn't interest him. He has no regrets and said "“I’d have hundreds of millions of dollars right now if I did that gig. But at the same time, I’d be bashing my head against the wall.”

9. Halle Berry as Annie Porter in Speed

Steve Granitz / FilmMagic, Mark Gordon Company

Halle Berry told Entertainment Tonight that she "stupidly said no" to Speed, but doesn't regret it because the version she was offered seemed very different to the movie that ultimately came out. 

10. Al Pacino as Han Solo in Star Wars

Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for Tribeca Festival, Lucasfilm

Pacino revealed to Variety that he was offered "so much money" for the role but ultimately turned it down, not expressing any regret and joking that he gave Harrison Ford a career by doing so.

11. Natasha Lyonne as Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images, The WB

Natasha told The Howard Stern Show she didn't want to commit to the channel, and was actually offered other roles such as one on Dawson's Creek too! She doesn't seem to have any regrets, and now we can't imagine anyone other than Sarah Michelle Gellar in the role. 

12. Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix

Kevin Winter / Getty Images, Warner Bros

Will Smith released a YouTube video explaining why he turned down the role, saying "I'm not proud of it." He explained the pitch for the movie as being a bit bizarre, and that led him to instead do Wild, Wild, West. Ultimately he feels that the right people got the part!

13. Tom Hanks as Harry in When Harry Met Sally

Taylor Hill / FilmMagic, Castle Rock Entertainment

Tom had a pretty legitimate reason for turning it down and then went on to still star in some huge rom-coms, so we don't imagine there's any regrets here! His wife Rita Wilson revealed on the podcast Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi  that "He turned it down because he was going through a divorce and he was very happy to be not married."

"He could not understand that a person going through a divorce would have anything other than just like, 'I'm so happy.'"

14. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct

Noam Galai / Getty Images, Carolco Pictures

In an interview she explained her decision in turning down a number of big roles; "The thing is, there are so many reasons that go into turning something down, and it’s not necessarily because you don’t want to do it. There’s a conflict, you’re committed to something else. Typically, it was something like that.” She also explained that after becoming a mother she became pickier with roles, and doesn't seem to regret her choice. 

15. Toni Collette as Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones' Diary

Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images, Universal

She has a pretty good outlook on it, telling Watch What Happens Live, "I think there are no coincidences. Anything that's meant for you in life is meant to happen. I have no regrets — life happens as it's meant to."

16. Matt LeBlanc as Phil Dunphy in Modern Family

Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images, ABC

Matt told USA Today that turned the role down despite loving the script because he felt he would do it an "injustice." He doesn't seem to have any regrets, and actually gave Jesse Tyler Ferguson advice back in 2012 when the cast of the sitcom had a salary dispute. 

17. Emilia Clarke as Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey

David M. Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images, Universal

She explained she didn't want to be typecast after GOT; "“I’d done nudity before and was concerned with being labeled for doing it again." Ultimately she's happy with her decision, and said "no regrets" when discussing it with The Hollywood Reporter. 

18. Matt Damon as Jake Sully in Avatar

Gary Gershoff / WireImage, 20th Century Fox

He told Entertainment Tonight; "It’s the dumbest thing an actor ever did in the history of acting."

Do you know of any other actors who turned down big roles? Drop them in the comments!