It’s pretty hard to imagine anyone else acting as the lead in some of our favourite movies. However, in Hollywood, it’s anyone’s game and nothing is final unless you sign the dotted line. While some movies decided to drop the actors, many times, it’s the actors that refuse the role. Here are 7 such celebrities that turned down iconic roles.
1. Emma Watson, La La Land
Before Emma Stone stepped in to play the Oscar-winning role, it was another Emma that had been finalised. Watson was supposed to be cast in this musical, however, none of the initial castings stuck with the movie. Due to delays, Watson moved on to play Belle.
2. Christina Applegate, Legally Blonde
Bend and snap! This iconic movie pretty much brought Reese Witherspoon into the spotlight. However, she wasn’t the first choice for this role. Christina Applegate was supposed to play this role but she declined it later. She said she didn’t want to play a “dumb blonde” and was afraid to keep repeating her self. She, later on, agreed that it was pretty stupid move on her part.
3. John Travolta, Forest Gump
What few people know though, is that we could have gotten John Travolta as Forrest Gump instead of the Oscar-winning Tom Hanks. Travolta was offered the title role but he turned it down and ended up making Pulp Fiction instead. Both the movies clashed at the Oscars but Forest Gump cleaned house.
4. Will Smith, The Matrix
The one that really got away, though, was the role of Neo in The Matrix. He did later claim that he wouldn’t have fit the role anyway. The reason he turned the role down in the first place was that he just couldn’t wrap his head around the script. It was a challenging role and a challenging script.
5. Julia Roberts, Shakespeare In Love
Some years before it became an Oscar-winning film, Shakespeare in Love was all set to be a glossy vehicle for the star of Pretty Woman. Yet Roberts wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to be her Shakespeare, and when he turned down the project so did she. Eventually, Gwyneth won the Oscar for her portrayal of the role.
6. Gwyneth Paltrow, Titanic
This movie is still one that is present on many peoples binge-watch list. It is iconic and made the actors names known to everyone. Before Kate Winslet took up the role, it was Paltrow who had it in the bag. However, for undisclosed reasons, she decided to drop the movie and refused to sign the dotted line.
7. Matt Damon, Avatar
While it’s hard to imagine Matt as Jake Sully, we’re sure he would have done a pretty great job. He’s had a lot of blockbusters in the past. However, it was that very fact that stopped him from taking up the role. He was finishing The Bourne Ultimatum at the time and couldn’t fit the movie in.
Do you think these guys would have played the part better? Let us know in the comments below.
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