12 Legendary Roles That Could’ve Been Played by Other Actors

We can’t possibly imagine certain iconic characters played by different actors. However, in some cases, producers and directors had originally considered another celebrity to be perfect for the role. Other times, an actor wants to be cast for a specific role but doesn’t make it through the selection process. That’s why we’d like to imagine what some popular characters would look like if they had been played by someone else.

1. Josh Hartnett as Loki

For a long time, the actor Josh Hartnett was supposed to play Loki in the first Thor movie. He had met with the director on more than one occasion and was among the best candidates. However, it was later announced that Tom Hiddleston would be taking the role of the villain, and he signed the contract to make it official in 2009.

2. Robin Williams as Hagrid

When the film adaptation of Harry Potter was given the green light, Robin Williams approached the director because he wanted to play Hagrid. But he was turned down as the cast members were required to be British actors. The writer herself thought Robbie Coltrane was perfect for the role because he was likable and funny but still possessed a certain toughness.

3. Henry Cavill as James Bond

During the casting of James Bond for the movie Casino Royale, a total of 200 names were considered for the role, and among them was Henry Cavill— the perfect candidate to play the mythical agent 007. But, at the time, Cavill was considered too young, so he was not hired. The star later claimed that the director had actually turned him down because he was out of shape.

4. Liam Hemsworth as Thor

Chris Hemsworth was not the first choice to play Thor, even though the actor was interested in the character. His younger brother, Liam, auditioned for the role and almost got it, but something came up in the end. After several ups and downs, Chris was cast and gained worldwide fame thanks to his memorable performance as Thor.

5. Lily Collins as Jenny

Lily Collins has admitted wanting to be Jenny in the series Gossip Girl, so she attended the casting, hoping to land the role. It would have been her first time in a TV show since she had always acted in movies. It was quite an experience for the actress to be in a screen test inside a TV studio. And although the role was eventually given to Taylor Momsen, Collins felt that things happen for a reason and kept working hard until she was cast in a TV drama.

6. Matthew McConaughey as Jack

In an interview, Matthew McConaughey said that he had auditioned for the role of Jack in the movie Titanic. He even participated in the screen test with Kate Winslet and received good feedback, so he was positive he was a shoo-in. For her part, Winslet confirmed this and revealed she had a fantastic time auditioning alongside McConaughey.

7. David Schwimmer as Agent J

Actor David Schwimmer is well-known for his role as Ross in the sitcom Friends. Due to the booming popularity of the series, he was offered to play Agent J in the movie Men in Black. However, Schwimmer turned it down because he was already involved in a different project. In the end, the director chose Will Smith since his wife was a fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series, and she liked Smith’s acting.

8. Simon Pegg as Lt. Archie Hicox

Among the possible contenders to play lieutenant Hicox in the film Inglourious Basterds, the actor Simon Pegg was one of the most suitable options. Unfortunately, he had to decline because of scheduling conflicts since he was working at the time on the film adaptation of Tintin. In the end, Michael Fassbender was selected for the role, although he had originally auditioned to play another character in the same film.

9. Leonardo DiCaprio as Hans Landa

The director of Inglourious Basterds had initially wanted DiCaprio to play Hans Landa, one of the main characters in the film. In the end, however, he thought the role would be better suited to an actor whose native language was German. So he went for Christoph Waltz, who fit the role perfectly, according to Tarantino.

10. Jennifer Lawrence as Bella

Jennifer Lawrence wanted to embody Bella Swan in Twilight. Nevertheless, the director chose Kristen Stewart after seeing her in the movie Into the Wild and being convinced she was perfect for the role. Lawrence later admitted she was glad she hadn’t been selected because she would not have wanted to receive all the attention that Stewart had to endure from the media at the time.

11. Ryan Gosling as Stephen Strange

During the casting of the first Doctor Strange movie, Ryan Gosling met with the producers to audition for the lead role. They ended up choosing Benedict Cumberbatch because they had already considered him during the development of the Marvel franchise. They even had to modify their schedule for the actor to be part of the project.

12. Jodie Foster as Princess Leia

When selecting the main cast for the first Star Wars movie, the producers offered Jodie Foster the part of Princess Leia. She didn’t accept the role due to other commitments, so they finally chose Carrie Fisher on the condition that she would lose weight for the filming.