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Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary Roles
Posted by bigpetedatiga on 2/4/13 at 12:00 pm00
1. Emily Blunt – Black Widow (Iron Man 2)
She is known for her roles in films like “The Devil Wears Prada,” “The Young Victoria,” “The Adjustment Bureau” and “Looper.” She, however, turned down the iconic role of Black Widow in the movie “Iron Man 2.” The role got even bigger when it was included as one of the main characters in “The Avengers.” Blunt instead did a role in the box office flop “Gulliver’s Travels.” Still, it is not as if it killed her career. After all, she has already won a Golden Globe for her role in “Gideon’s Daughter,” aside from several other nominations from various award-giving bodies. Men certainly would not complain seeing Scarlett Johansson playing Black Widow instead.
2. Sean Connery – Gandalf (The Lord Of The Rings) and Morpheus (The Matrix)
He has had his share of legendary roles, like James Bond which he did seven times, the father of Indiana Jones and the clean law agent in “The Untouchables.” Two roles that he rejected, decisions that he eventually regretted, were those of Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Morpheus in “The Matrix” trilogy. Those would have been perfect feathers on his cap. Ian McKellen and Laurence Fishburne benefited from Connery’s mistakes.
3. Kevin Costner – Andy Dufresne (The Shawshank Redemption)
Kevin Costner was riding sky high back in the 90s. He had a string of great movies, like “The Untouchables,” “Bull Durham,” “Field of Dreams” and “JFK.” Even his less than stellar movies made a lot of money, like “The Bodyguard” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” He was also honored in the Academy Awards for “Dances with Wolves.” So it’s hard to blame him when he decided to take on an ambitious project in “Waterworld” rather than do the relatively quiet role of Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption.” Tim Robbins ended up with the role and, while it did not make big money as well, at least it garnered the honor of being one of the best movies of all time.
4. Matt Damon – Jake Sully (Avatar), Harvey Dent(The Dark Knight), Ennis del Mar(Brokeback Mountain), Harvey Milk(Milk)
He was in both the “Ocean” and “Bourne” trilogy, as well as in the World War II classic “Saving Private Ryan.” He also has an Academy Award for the original screenplay he wrote with Ben Affleck called “Good Will Hunting.” Matt Damon is already considered one of the best actors of his generation. Imagine how much higher he would have been held in esteem had he not turned down four great roles. Jake Sully of “Avatar” went to Sam Worthington, and that movie turned out to be the highest-grossing movie of all time. Harvey Dent of “The Dark Knight” went to Aaron Eckhart instead. Heath Ledger tackled Ennis del Mar of “Brokeback Mountain” more than adequately. Sean Penn got the role of Harvey Milk in “Milk.” All four movies were critical darlings and got Oscar nominations.
5. Johnny Depp – Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
Before Johnny Depp burst into the limelight in “21 Jump Street,” he could have already made it big in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” The role went to Matthew Broderick instead. With Depp’s long line of hits and acclaimed performances, it is doubtful though if he would exchange positions with Broderick now.
6. Leonardo Di Caprio – Dirk Diggler (Boogie Nights)
Leonardo di Caprio is a big fan of director Paul Thomas Anderson, so when he couldn’t do the role of Dirk Diggler in “Boogie Nights,” Di Caprio would end up regretting it. The role went to Mark Wahlberg instead. Still, considering that he passed on the role because he was also doing “Titanic,” one can safely say that it turned out for the best.
7. Jack Nicholson – Michael Corleone (The Godfather)
Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” is one of the greatest films of all time. Jack Nicholson realized the potential of the role of Michael Corleone, but declined to do it because he does not have Italian blood that it called for. Al Pacino ended up with the role. It was a case of a legendary actor replacing another legendary actor for a legendary role in a legendary movie.
8. Molly Ringwald – Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman), Molly Jensen (Ghost)
Julia Roberts hit it big playing the prostitute Vivian Ward in “Pretty Woman.” Demi Moore started getting more serious roles after portraying Molly Jensen in “Ghost.” The two movies launched the two actresses to superstardom. Molly Ringwald, once considered the greatest of the teen stars in the 80s with movies like “Pretty in Pink,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles,” could have had those roles. Instead, she is still remembered only for those teen movies she did back then.
9. Tom Selleck – Indiana Jones (Raiders Of The Lost Ark)
Tom Selleck was already a relatively big star back in the 80s because of his hit television show “Magnum P.I.” How much bigger he could have gotten had he crossed over successfully to the film business, no one knows. And he got that chance when he was offered the role of Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Scheduling conflicts with his TV show forced him to reject the role and Harrison Ford ended up with it instead.
10. Will Smith – Neo (The Matrix)
Will Smith could have been “The One” had he accepted the role of Neo in “The Matrix.” He has no regrets though as he has admitted that he could not have portrayed it better than Keanu Reeves. His bigger regret is probably doing “Wild, Wild West,” the flop that he chose to do over “The Matrix.”
LINK
She is known for her roles in films like “The Devil Wears Prada,” “The Young Victoria,” “The Adjustment Bureau” and “Looper.” She, however, turned down the iconic role of Black Widow in the movie “Iron Man 2.” The role got even bigger when it was included as one of the main characters in “The Avengers.” Blunt instead did a role in the box office flop “Gulliver’s Travels.” Still, it is not as if it killed her career. After all, she has already won a Golden Globe for her role in “Gideon’s Daughter,” aside from several other nominations from various award-giving bodies. Men certainly would not complain seeing Scarlett Johansson playing Black Widow instead.
2. Sean Connery – Gandalf (The Lord Of The Rings) and Morpheus (The Matrix)
He has had his share of legendary roles, like James Bond which he did seven times, the father of Indiana Jones and the clean law agent in “The Untouchables.” Two roles that he rejected, decisions that he eventually regretted, were those of Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Morpheus in “The Matrix” trilogy. Those would have been perfect feathers on his cap. Ian McKellen and Laurence Fishburne benefited from Connery’s mistakes.
3. Kevin Costner – Andy Dufresne (The Shawshank Redemption)
Kevin Costner was riding sky high back in the 90s. He had a string of great movies, like “The Untouchables,” “Bull Durham,” “Field of Dreams” and “JFK.” Even his less than stellar movies made a lot of money, like “The Bodyguard” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” He was also honored in the Academy Awards for “Dances with Wolves.” So it’s hard to blame him when he decided to take on an ambitious project in “Waterworld” rather than do the relatively quiet role of Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption.” Tim Robbins ended up with the role and, while it did not make big money as well, at least it garnered the honor of being one of the best movies of all time.
4. Matt Damon – Jake Sully (Avatar), Harvey Dent(The Dark Knight), Ennis del Mar(Brokeback Mountain), Harvey Milk(Milk)
He was in both the “Ocean” and “Bourne” trilogy, as well as in the World War II classic “Saving Private Ryan.” He also has an Academy Award for the original screenplay he wrote with Ben Affleck called “Good Will Hunting.” Matt Damon is already considered one of the best actors of his generation. Imagine how much higher he would have been held in esteem had he not turned down four great roles. Jake Sully of “Avatar” went to Sam Worthington, and that movie turned out to be the highest-grossing movie of all time. Harvey Dent of “The Dark Knight” went to Aaron Eckhart instead. Heath Ledger tackled Ennis del Mar of “Brokeback Mountain” more than adequately. Sean Penn got the role of Harvey Milk in “Milk.” All four movies were critical darlings and got Oscar nominations.
5. Johnny Depp – Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
Before Johnny Depp burst into the limelight in “21 Jump Street,” he could have already made it big in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” The role went to Matthew Broderick instead. With Depp’s long line of hits and acclaimed performances, it is doubtful though if he would exchange positions with Broderick now.
6. Leonardo Di Caprio – Dirk Diggler (Boogie Nights)
Leonardo di Caprio is a big fan of director Paul Thomas Anderson, so when he couldn’t do the role of Dirk Diggler in “Boogie Nights,” Di Caprio would end up regretting it. The role went to Mark Wahlberg instead. Still, considering that he passed on the role because he was also doing “Titanic,” one can safely say that it turned out for the best.
7. Jack Nicholson – Michael Corleone (The Godfather)
Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” is one of the greatest films of all time. Jack Nicholson realized the potential of the role of Michael Corleone, but declined to do it because he does not have Italian blood that it called for. Al Pacino ended up with the role. It was a case of a legendary actor replacing another legendary actor for a legendary role in a legendary movie.
8. Molly Ringwald – Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman), Molly Jensen (Ghost)
Julia Roberts hit it big playing the prostitute Vivian Ward in “Pretty Woman.” Demi Moore started getting more serious roles after portraying Molly Jensen in “Ghost.” The two movies launched the two actresses to superstardom. Molly Ringwald, once considered the greatest of the teen stars in the 80s with movies like “Pretty in Pink,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles,” could have had those roles. Instead, she is still remembered only for those teen movies she did back then.
9. Tom Selleck – Indiana Jones (Raiders Of The Lost Ark)
Tom Selleck was already a relatively big star back in the 80s because of his hit television show “Magnum P.I.” How much bigger he could have gotten had he crossed over successfully to the film business, no one knows. And he got that chance when he was offered the role of Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Scheduling conflicts with his TV show forced him to reject the role and Harrison Ford ended up with it instead.
10. Will Smith – Neo (The Matrix)
Will Smith could have been “The One” had he accepted the role of Neo in “The Matrix.” He has no regrets though as he has admitted that he could not have portrayed it better than Keanu Reeves. His bigger regret is probably doing “Wild, Wild West,” the flop that he chose to do over “The Matrix.”
LINK
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Carson123987 on 2/4/13 at 12:01 pm to bigpetedatiga
the dinosaurs were discussing this list back in their day
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Zamoro10 on 2/4/13 at 12:02 pm to bigpetedatiga
Connery would have made The Matrix infinitely better.
Can you imagine Highlander w/o Connery? That's the Matrix w/o Connery once you imagine him in the film. Old Connery - The ultimate mentor doing what he does best.
Can you imagine Highlander w/o Connery? That's the Matrix w/o Connery once you imagine him in the film. Old Connery - The ultimate mentor doing what he does best.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by TN Bhoy on 2/4/13 at 12:03 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:
Legendary Roles
quote:
Black Widow (Iron Man 2)
Da frick?
This post was edited on 2/4 at 12:04 pm
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Carson123987 on 2/4/13 at 12:07 pm to TN Bhoy
quote:
quote:
Legendary Roles
quote:
Black Widow (Iron Man 2)
Da frick?
deja vu from the first thread on this
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Displaced on 2/4/13 at 12:08 pm to Carson123987
quote:
deja vu from the first thread on this
i was just thinking this.
quote:
Connery would have made The Matrix infinitely better. Can you imagine Highlander w/o Connery? That's the Matrix w/o Connery once you imagine him in the film. Old Connery - The ultimate mentor doing what he does best.
at the very least he wouldnt have gotten all fat like Cowboy Curtis did between 1 and 2.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Celery on 2/4/13 at 12:22 pm to bigpetedatiga
So the Matrix could've been Will Smith and Sean Connery.
I recently read where Point Break almost starred Matthew Broderick and Charlie Sheen. PB is legendary in my mind.
I recently read where Point Break almost starred Matthew Broderick and Charlie Sheen. PB is legendary in my mind.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Jcorye1 on 2/4/13 at 1:01 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:
6. Leonardo Di Caprio – Dirk Diggler (Boogie Nights)
I think that helped rather than hurt.
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re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by elprez00 on 2/4/13 at 1:12 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:
Matt Damon
quote:
Ennis del Mar(Brokeback Mountain), Harvey Milk(Milk)
Good call, Matt.
quote:
Leonardo Di Caprio – Dirk Diggler (Boogie Nights)
Couldn't have taken this seriously.
quote:
10. Will Smith – Neo (The Matrix)
Meh, but...
quote:
His bigger regret is probably doing “Wild, Wild West,” the flop that he chose to do over “The Matrix.”
Damn.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by FootballNostradamus on 2/4/13 at 1:30 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:
Before Johnny Depp burst into the limelight in “21 Jump Street,” he could have already made it big in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Depp burst into the limelight in "21 Jump Street"?
quote:
Connery would have made The Matrix infinitely better.
Disagree. Connery is obviously >>> then Fishburne as a pure actor, but Fishburne was perfect for Morpheus.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by alajones on 2/4/13 at 1:38 pm to Carson123987
This thread is like a bad penny.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by OMLandshark on 2/4/13 at 1:39 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:
1. Emily Blunt – Black Widow (Iron Man 2)
Legendary? Really?
quote:
2. Sean Connery – Gandalf (The Lord Of The Rings) and Morpheus (The Matrix)
Big frick-ups there, but I'm happy he didn't take either of these roles.
quote:
4. Matt Damon – Jake Sully (Avatar), Harvey Dent(The Dark Knight), Ennis del Mar(Brokeback Mountain), Harvey Milk(Milk)
Seems like Matt has a good manager. He wasn't missing out on much with those films and has done fine.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by alajones on 2/4/13 at 1:41 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:Would have been weird.
Leonardo Di Caprio – Dirk Diggler (Boogie Nights)
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by blueboy on 2/4/13 at 1:41 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:I guess they were just dead set on casting a goofy looking chick in this role.
8. Molly Ringwald – Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman)
I think another you can add is Roger Moore turning down James Bond before Connery due to his work on the Saint...
It would have been interesting to see the projection in a parallel world of Roger Moore starting the series.
It would have been interesting to see the projection in a parallel world of Roger Moore starting the series.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Spock's Eyebrow on 2/4/13 at 1:53 pm to bigpetedatiga
Thank god for the wisdom of Jack Nicholson.
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by emcee422 on 2/4/13 at 1:59 pm to bigpetedatiga
quote:
Gandalf
quote:
Andy Dufresne
quote:
Ferris Bueller
quote:
Michael Corleone
quote:
Indiana Jones
quote:
Neo
quote:
Black Widow (Iron Man 2)
One of these things is not like the others...
re: Ten Actors Who Turned Down Legendary RolesPosted by Ace Midnight on 2/4/13 at 2:05 pm to udtiger
quote:
I am sure his daughter doing porn added to his stress level
You want to have fun? Sit down with someone who just casually watches movies and put on Apocalypse Now (theatrical or redux, whichever you prefer) - Start your stopwatch with the first appearance of Mr. Clean. Note how long it takes the casual film fan to figure out it's Fishburne, and then observe their reaction to how he looked at 18.
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