11 Stars Who Turned Down Major Movie and TV Roles

There are many remakes of popular movies. A new cast and a fresh adaptation help us to look at the same story from a completely different angle. But sometimes there’s a great chance there will be other faces portraying this or that character during the production itself. And some of these choices appease our sense of fantasy and affection.

We at Bright Side decided to fantasize a bit about how the well-known characters would look like if they were portrayed by some other guys. And here’s what we’ve got.

1. Adrien Brody in The Lord of the Rings

Many years have already passed, so Adrien Brody himself doesn’t remember which part he was proposed to play. He only knows it was “some hobbit-like character.” And he didn’t take it because he was looking for something else at the moment. He watched the movie with his then-girlfriend after, and she was amazed at how he could pass up a role in such an epic movie.

2. Glenn Howerton in Guardians of The Galaxy

Director James Gunn said that he had 2 options for the role: Chris Pratt and Glenn Howerton. He said that if Pratt hadn’t signed on, there was a good chance that he would’ve cast Howerton in the role. However, Howerton himself had no idea how close he was to portraying Star-Lord in the movie.

3. Kristin Davis in Friends

Kristin Davis revealed that she auditioned for the role of Monica Geller before Courteney Cox got the role, though there were about 8,000 young actresses who read for Monica. So we may never know what kind of chance Davis had of becoming one of the 6 friends that stole the hearts of many people around the globe.

4. Yunjin Kim in Grey’s Anatomy

Yunjin Kim auditioned for Lost back in the day. She initially was up for the role of Kate. But it eventually went to her costar, Evangeline Lilly. Anyway, showrunner J.J. Abrams loved Kim so much that they decided to write a new role just for her.

However, Kim still kept her callback for the role of Izzie Stevens because she liked Grey’s Anatomy more. But all in all, with the help of her agents or for whatever other reason, she ended up not going back to it and concentrated on the show she was already involved with.

5. Madonna in Batman Returns

Madonna still regrets turning down the role in The Matrix, though she doesn’t regret doing the same for Showgirls. But there’s one more role that ultimately went to another actress, and “that was pretty fierce.” As it turns out, she could have played Catwoman in Batman Returns, an iconic, unforgettable role magnificently played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

6. Matt Damon in The Dark Knight

Matt Damon confirmed that he was up for the role of Harvey Dent in Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece. But he said that he never spoke to the director. Besides, he couldn’t join the movie cast anyway due to his strict schedule. Still, we have the same question: would Damon have made a more brilliant Two-Face on screen?

7. Jessica Simpson in A Walk to Remember

Mandy Moore’s role could have been given to Jessica Simpson. But Moore’s co-star, Shane West, said that she wasn’t keen on that idea and is grateful it didn’t happen. Simpson just didn’t seem right for her. But when she met Moore and they both had an audition in the same room, she was like, “She’s perfect for the role.”

8. Javier Bardem in Minority Report

It may seem funny, but in the early ’00s, Javier Bardem didn’t feel confident enough to take part in English-language movies. So he turned down a role in Steven Spielberg’s film, and it was given to Colin Farrell, who was thrilled to have a chance to work with the director.

9. Matt Damon in Milk

Matt Damon has a great career. But when it comes to Oscar-winning movies, he may have some major regrets in choosing certain roles. That’s exactly what happened with Milk. Director Steven Soderbergh preferred Josh Brolin for the role of the city supervisor, Dan White. But after seeing the final result, even Damon agreed this was the right choice.

10. Al Pacino in Die Hard

It turns out Al Pacino passed on the part of John McClane in 1988’s Die Hard. Later, the role went to Bruce Willis. Pacino even joked about the success Willis got after shooting the movie, saying, “I gave that boy a career.”

11. Matt Damon in Brokeback Mountain

And yes, Damon also rejected a leading role in Brokeback Mountain, saying, “I just did a gay movie and a cowboy movie. I can’t do a gay cowboy movie now.” Another actor got the role. And it was our beloved Heath Ledger.

What are your favorite movies? Can you imagine any other actor playing a major role in any of them?