17 Iconic Disney Roles That Were Almost Played By Different Actors

William H. Macy recorded the entirety of Finding Nemo as Marlin before being recast.

1. First, Amy Poehler was considered for the role of Rapunzel in Tangled before Mandy Moore was cast.

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In fact, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Idina Menzel, and Kristen Bell all auditioned for Rapunzel.

2. Emma Watson turned down the role of Cinderella in the 2015 live-action remake.

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3. Ryan Gosling turned down the role of The Beast in the Beauty and the Beast live-action remake in order to star in La La Land — and, believe it or not, Emma Watson turned down La La Land for Beauty and the Beast.

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4. William H. Macy was originally the voice of Marlin in Finding Nemo — he even recorded the entire movie before he was replaced.

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5. Patrick Stewart was very close to voicing Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast; however, Star Trek: The Next Generation began filming around the same time.

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6. Originally, the creators of The Princess and the Frog wanted Tiana to be voiced by Beyoncé.

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Tyra Banks, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson also auditioned for the role before it eventually went to Anika Noni Rose.

7. Billy Crystal actually turned down the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story.

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Crystal said that turning down Toy Story is "the only regret I have in the business of something I passed on."

8. During the early stages of Hercules, Jack Nicholson was considered for the voice of Hades.

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9. Lily Tomlin was originally cast as the voice of Edna Mode in The Incredibles — in fact, Brad Bird filled in for Tomlin during a read through and his Edna voice was so funny it just stuck.

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10. Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role of Max in Hocus Pocus, but turned it down to star in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

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11. Reese Witherspoon was originally supposed to voice Merida in Brave — she was attached to the project for several years.

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12. Pirates of the Caribbean screenwriter Stuart Beattie originally wrote Jack Sparrow with Hugh Jackman in mind for the role.

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13. Also, Ewan McGregor was originally considered for the role of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean before Orlando Bloom was cast.

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Alongside McGregor, Jude Law, Heath Ledger, Tobey Maguire, Ben Peyton, and Christian Bale were also considered for the role.

14. In Mulan, Mushu was almost voiced by Joe Pesci before Eddie Murphy was cast.

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Animators were originally thinking of actors that were able to make memorable facial expressions.

15. Jim Carrey auditioned for the role of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid — this was before he went on to star in In Living Color.

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16. Bill Murray was originally up for the role of Sulley in Monsters, Inc. before John Goodman was cast.

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17. And finally, Walt Disney originally considered Angela Lansbury for the role of Mary Poppins before Julie Andrews was cast.

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Angela Lansbury recently appeared in Mary Poppins Returns.