40 Hollywood A-Listers Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
We’ve all done it: turned down an offer for something that seemed like a good opportunity but didn’t quite feel like the right fit. Now imagine doing the same, but as a Hollywood actor. And then you tune into the flick you’ve turned down, and it’s Titanic or The Princess Bride or Pretty Woman. Of course, the 40 actors on this list ended up doing just fine in their careers. But it’s crazy to think they could have starred in these iconic roles – if only they would have said yes.
40. John Lithgow – Batman
It’s hard to imagine anyone else but Jack Nicholson as The Joker in the 1989 version of Batman. But casting directors also tossed around the idea of John Lithgow in the role. The 3rd Rock From the Sun star didn’t see himself as a good fit in the devious role. He recalled his audition to culture website Vulture in 2017, saying, “I tried to persuade him I was not right for the part, and I succeeded.”
39. John Travolta – Forrest Gump
John Travolta has admitted that he would “trade a few movies with Tom Hanks.” And of course that includes 1994 smash hit Forrest Gump. That one must be especially frustrating for Travolta when you consider that he actually turned down the role. Even worse, Hanks went on to win an Oscar for it.
38. Mel Gibson – Gladiator
At the turn of the 21st century, Mel Gibson was one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. That meant that he could be discerning with the parts he took – and the starring role in Gladiator didn’t appeal to him. The Braveheart actor found that the movie’s action scenes seemed a bit too rigorous for his liking. Plus he felt he had a few too many years on the clock to play the ancient Roman fighter. So the job went to Russell Crowe – and he won an Academy Award for his turn as Maximus.
37. Danny DeVito – The Princess Bride
If you’ve ever read the novel version of The Princess Bride, the sharp-tongued Italian character named Vizzini seems like the perfect part for Danny DeVito. Yet the actor turned down the role in the beloved 1987 flick for unknown reasons. Wallace Shawn ended up playing the part, and reportedly felt anxiety knowing whose shoes he had to fill.
