21 Actors Who Turned Down Pretty Major Roles, Some Who Regretted It And Some Who Didn’t

    Still can't wrap my head around Will Smith as Neo.

    Krutika Mallikarjuna
    by Krutika Mallikarjuna

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    1. First, Rachel McAdams almost played Andy in The Devil Wears Prada.

    Amanda Edwards / Getty Images, 20th Century Fox / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Anne Hathaway

    Rachel McAdams told Bustle that there was a slew of movies she was offered during her two-year break from Hollywood — including, most famously, the role of Andy in The Devil Wears Prada — and when she turned it down, she "felt guilty for not capitalizing on the opportunity that [she] was being given, because [she] knew [she] was in such a lucky spot. But [she] also knew it wasn't quite jiving with [her] personality and what [she] needed to stay sane.”

    "There’s certainly things like, ‘I wish I’d done that,’” McAdams continued. But then she can “step back and go, ‘That was the right person for that.’”

    2. Amanda Seyfried almost played Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy and the rest of the MCU.

    Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images, Disney / Marvel / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Zoe Saldaña

    When Amanda Seyfried stopped by the Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, she revealed that she passed on the role of Gamora in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy even though the script was "great."

    "I didn't want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed," said Seyfried. "I said, 'Who wants to see a movie about a talking tree and a raccoon?' Which is clearly — I was very wrong." She went on to say, "If you're the star of a giant movie like that and it bombs, Hollywood does not forgive you. I've seen that happen to people, and it was a giant, giant fear. I thought, Is it worth it?"

    3. Will Smith almost played Neo in The Matrix.

    Isabel Infantes / AFP via Getty Images, Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Keanu Reeves

    During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Will Smith was asked if he had any advice for his younger self. Smith responded, "I would go, 'Hey, man, don't do Wild Wild West!' I would say, 'Dude, do Neo! Do Neo!' 'Cause I got offered The Matrix." At the mention of his missed opportunity, the audience gasped, and Smith cheekily shot back, "I know. Relax! Relax! How do you think I feel!?"

    4. Bette Midler almost played Sister Mary Clarence in Sister Act.

    Monica Schipper / Getty Images, Buena Vista Pictures / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Whoopi Goldberg

    Bette Midler told Variety that when Disney Studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg called her every day, begging her to do Sister Act, she told him, “'My fans don’t want to see me in a wimple.' Can you believe that? How off-the-wall is that? How crazy is that? ... I stood my ground because I really was afraid of the costume. ... Whoopi wore it all the way to the bank."

    5. Michelle Pfeiffer almost played Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs.

    Mark Von Holden / Variety via Getty Images, Orion Pictures / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Jodie Foster

    Michelle Pfeiffer told the New Yorker that when it came to The Silence of the Lambs, she was "trepidatious" because "evil won in the end, [and she] was uncomfortable with that ending." She added, "I didn’t want to put that out into the world." She said she often regrets not being able to "maybe do both things" when she has to choose between projects.

    “The thing I most regret," Pfeiffer went on to say, "is missing the opportunity to do another film with [director] Jonathan [Demme]."

    6. Denzel Washington almost played Michael Clayton in Michael Clayton.

    Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for CinemaCon, Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: George Clooney

    Denzel Washington told GQ that when it came to Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton, "It was the best material I had read in a long time, but I was nervous about a first-time director, and I was wrong. It happens."

    7. Emily Blunt almost played Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (and her other appearances in the MCU).

    Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Marvel / Paramount / Disney / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Scarlett Johansson

    Emily Blunt told Howard Stern on his podcast that it was "a bit of a heartbreaker" for her to turn down the role of Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    "I was contracted to do Gulliver's Travels," she clarified, citing her busy schedule at the time thanks to an optional picture deal left over from The Devil Wears Prada. "I didn't want to do Gulliver's Travels."

    8. Matt Damon almost played Jake Sully in Avatar.

    Bruce Glikas / WireImage, 20th Century Fox. Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Sam Worthington

    As first reported by Deadline, during an event at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Matt Damon told the audience that he was "offered a little movie called Avatar." He said, "James Cameron offered me 10% of [the profits].” Citing his "moral" commitment to the Bourne franchise, which was shooting at the same time, Damon turned down Cameron's epic.

    “I will go down in history," he went on to say. "You will never meet an actor who turned down more money.”

    9. Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.

    Mike Coppola / Getty Images, New Line Cinema / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the role: Mark Wahlberg

    When GQ asked Leonardo DiCaprio if there were any roles he regretted turning down during his career, DiCaprio said, “Boogie Nights is a movie I loved and I wish I would’ve done." At the time, he chose to do James Cameron's Titanic instead, which launched him into global superstardom.

    “I would have been happy to do them both. And the truth is, if I’d not done Titanic, I wouldn’t be able to do the types of movies or have the career I have now, for sure,” he went on to say. “But it would have been interesting to see if I had gone the other way.”

    10. Christina Applegate almost played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.

    Valerie Macon / AFP via Getty Images, MGM / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Reese Witherspoon

    Christina Applegate told ET Online that the Legally Blonde script "came along my way and it was right after I had finished Married [With Children], and ... I got scared of kind of repeating myself." Mentioning that the version of the script she read wasn't what the movie turned out to be, Applegate went on to declare, "What a stupid move that was, right?"

    11. Burt Reynolds almost played Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment.

    Gilbert Carrasquillo / WireImage, Paramount Pictures / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the role: Jack Nicholson

    Although the role was specifically written for him by director James L. Brooks, Burt Reynolds turned down an Oscar-winning part in Terms of Endearment to make the NASCAR comedy called Stroker Ace. "I regret that one most of all because it was a real acting part," Reynolds told Business Insider in an interview. "I wish I would have done it, and thinking back now, it was really a stupid decision, but I made a lot of stupid decisions in that period. It must have been my stupid period."

    12. Josh Hartnett almost played Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins.

    Daniele Venturelli / Daniele Venturelli / Getty Images, Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Christian Bale

    Josh Hartnett told Playboy, “I’ve definitely said no to some of the wrong people. ... I learned my lesson when Christopher Nolan and I talked about Batman. I decided it wasn’t for me. Then he didn’t want to put me in The Prestige. They not only hired their Batman for it, they also hired my girlfriend [Scarlett Johansson] at the time.

    “That’s when I realized relationships were formed in the fire of that first Batman film, and I should have been part of the relationship with this guy Nolan, who I felt was incredibly cool and very talented,” Hartnett continued, noting that at the time, “I was so focused on not being pigeonholed and so scared of being considered only one thing as an actor."

    13. Bruce Willis almost played Sam Wheat in Ghost.

    Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images, Paramount / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Patrick Swayze

    During an interview with Playboy contributing reporter David Sheff, Bruce Willis said of the script, "I just didn’t get it. I said, 'Hey, the guy’s dead. How are you gonna have a romance?' Famous last words." Not even working with his then-wife, Demi Moore, could convince him to give the movie a shot at the time, and Willis went on to call himself a "knucklehead" for his shortsightedness.

    14. Harrison Ford almost played Bob Barnes in Syriana.

    Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images, Warner Bros.

    Actor who got the part: George Clooney

    As reported by the Irish Examiner, when Harrison Ford first saw director Stephen Gaghan's movie Syriana, he said, "I wish I'd played the part that was offered to me — George's part."

    "I didn't feel strongly enough about the truth of the material, and I think I made a mistake," Ford added. "I think the film underwent some changes, and I think a lot of it is very truthful. The things that I thought weren't were obviated after I left the table."

    15. Halle Berry almost played Annie Porter in Speed.

    Variety / Variety via Getty Images, 20th Century Fox / Everett Collection.

    Actor who got the role: Sandra Bullock

    In an interview with ET Online, Halle Berry shared that she was offered the role of Annie in Speed before Sandra Bullock. "I stupidly said no," said Berry. "But in my defense, when I read the script, the bus didn't leave the parking lot. ... They were offering me the parking lot version.

    "Then I see the movie and I'm like, arrrrghh," Berry added.

    16. Madonna almost played Catwoman in Batman Returns.

    NBC / Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty Images, Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the role: Michelle Pfeiffer

    In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Madonna said she'd been offered roles in Batman Returns and Showgirls around the same time but ultimately turned down both projects. "I saw them both, and I regret that I turned down Catwoman. That was pretty fierce," said Madonna. "Showgirls? No."

    17. Eddie Murphy almost played Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

    Axelle / FilmMagic, Buena Vista Pictures / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Bob Hoskins

    On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Eddie Murphy revealed, "The only movie that I have turned down that became a big hit was Who Framed Roger Rabbit … I was going to be the Bob Hoskins dude [Eddie Valiant].”

    “I was like, what? Animation and people sounds like bullshit to me," said Murphy. Now every time I see it, I feel like an idiot.”

    18. Henry Winkler almost played Danny Zuko in Grease.

    Leon Bennett / WireImage, Paramount / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the role: John Travolta

    During an interview with CNN's Chris Wallace, Henry Winkler responded with a resounding yes when asked if he’s a “damn fool” for rejecting the role of Danny Zuko in Grease. “I only realized years afterwards," said Winkler. "I thought, I’ve played the Fonz, I don’t wanna do it again ... but it’s already happened; I’m already typecast.

    “I should’ve just shut up and had a really good time making that movie,” Winkler continued. He joked, “Now, I go home, I say no, and I have a Diet Coke. John Travolta goes home, and has done the movie, and buys a plane.”

    19. John Lithgow almost played the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman.

    Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images, Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Jack Nicholson

    “My worst audition was for Tim Burton for Batman,” John Lithgow told Vulture during a red carpet interview at the 2017 Tony Awards. “I have never told anyone this story, but I tried to persuade him I was not right for the part, and I succeeded. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. About a week later, I heard they were going after Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson.”

    20. Gwyneth Paltrow almost played Rose in Titanic.

    Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for Daily Front Row, 20th Century Fox / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the part: Kate Winslet

    In an interview with Howard Stern on his podcast, Gwyneth Paltrow revealed, "I think I really was in contention for it — I was maybe one of the last two,” but she ultimately turned the role down.

    "I look back at the choices I’ve made and I think, Why the hell did I say yes to that and no to that? And you know, you look at the big picture and think, There’s a universal lesson here. What good is it to hold on to roles?”

    21. And finally, Al Pacino almost played Han Solo in Star Wars.

    NBC / Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty Images, Lucasfilm / Everett Collection

    Actor who got the role: Harrison Ford

    During an interview with MTV at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, Al Pacino opened up about his Star Wars experience, saying, "It was at that time in my career where I was offered everything," said Pacino. "I was in The Godfather. They didn't care if I was right or wrong for the role, if I could act or not act.

    "I remember not understanding [Star Wars] when I read it," Pacino added. "Another missed opportunity," he teased.