10 of the Funniest Reasons Why Actors Turned Down Iconic Roles
These were certainly choices
Sometimes the role of a lifetime was actually intended for someone else’s lifetime. Time and again, we hear about the casting that almost was, and feel fully satisfied with the version of the film we actually got. In some cases, the actor didn’t connect with the material; in other cases, the requisite schedules simply didn’t line up.
Redditor Helloimafanoffiction recently asked r/Movies to reflect on “the funniest time an actor turned down an iconic role.” The way some of your favorite movies almost looked might surprise you — and the things these actors opted to take on instead may be even more shocking and/or hilarious in hindsight.
John Leguizamo and ‘Philadelphia’
Kevin Costner and ‘Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Kill Bill’
Sean Connery and ‘The Lord of the Rings’
Billy Crystal and ‘Toy Story’
Jean Claude Van Damme and ‘Predator’
Will Smith and ‘The Matrix’
Matt Damon and ‘Avatar’
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Four Oscar-Nominated Movies’
Will Smith and ‘Django Unchained’
Warren Beatty and ‘Boogie Nights’
