Clare Danes remembers being provided the lead in “Titanic” shortly after the success of “Romeo + Juliet” (additionally starring Leonardo DiCaprio. “I’d simply made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico Metropolis, which is the place they had been going to shoot Titanic, and I simply did not have it in me. And I bear in mind, Leo and I shared a supervisor on the time, and we had been there on the workplace. I used to be on a balcony, which is humorous [because of Romeo + Juliet]… and Leo had this rental crimson convertible, some, like, scorching rod-dy automobile. And he was kinda stepping into circles within the car parking zone. And I knew he was wrestling with the choice to do this film or not and he simply seemed up at me, and he stated, ‘I’m doing it. I’m doing it.’ And I might see he wasn’t positive, however he was like, f*** it, I gotta do that factor.’ And I seemed down on him going, like, I completely perceive why you might be doing it. And I’m not prepared for that” she instructed Dax Shepard on his “Armchair Professional” podcast.
As for why Will Smith turned down the position of Neo: The Wachowskis’ pitch simply did not land with him. “So I made ‘Wild Wild West,’” Will admitted, “I am not pleased with it!” He added that had he accepted, Val Kilmer would have performed Morpheus.
“Clueless”: Sarah needed to flip the half down due to scheduling conflicts along with her daytime cleaning soap “All My Kids.” Alicia Silverstone ended up turning Cher into one of the crucial iconic teen characters ever.
“The Blide Facet”: Julia Roberts stated she turned down the half to concentrate on her household. Sandra Bullock additionally turned it down initially, however finally got here round and received the Oscar for her troubles.
“Beetlejuice”: Jennifer Connelly, Sarah Jessica Parker and Winona Ryder all turned down the a part of Lydia. Fortunately, Winona reconsidered and it grew to become one in every of her most well-known performances.
“Titanic”: Gwyneth was reportedly James Cameron’s first option to play Rose, however turned down the chance of a lifetime. Kate Winslet was a greater than welcome substitute in one of the crucial beloved motion pictures of all time.
“The Silence of the Lambs”: Director Jonathan Demme provided Michelle Pfieffer the half, however she turned it down as a result of she thought the script was too violent. Jodie Foster received her second Oscar for this traditional.
“Shakespeare in Love”: Kate Winslet was provided the half proper after the massive success of “Titanic,” however turned it down as a result of she did not wish to be typecast. It was then provided to Gwyneth Paltrow, taking part in it to Oscar-winning perfection.
“The Reader”: Nicole Kidman dropped out of the movie after she grew to become pregnant, permitting Kate Winslet to swoop in. She not solely received an Oscar for this, however cemented her standing as one of many best actresses of her era.
“Monster’s Ball”: Angela Basset stated she turned down the half as a result of she it was “such a stereotype about black girls.” Halle Berry’s efficiency catapulted her to the highest of the A-list by turning into the primary African-American girl to win the Greatest Actress Oscar.
“Million Greenback Child”: Sandra Bullock did not technically flip down the position, however needed to drop out of the challenge attributable to scheduling conflicts with “Miss Congeniality 2.” Hilary Swank was forged and ended up successful an Oscar for her efficiency.
“Knocked Up”: Anne Hathaway turned down the movie as a result of she did not consider that feminine nudity of one other character was essential to the story. Katherine Heigl was forged in what ended up being a star-making flip.
“Iron Man 2”: Emily Blunt was one other sufferer of scheduling battle and needed to flip down the a part of Black Window in “Iron Man 2.” Scarlett Johansson stepped into what finally grew to become the billion greenback “Avengers” franchise.
“The Hangover”: Lohan stated she thought the script had no potential and turned down the position because the stripper, Jade. Heather Graham joined the forged in what grew to become the very best grossing R-rated comedy on the time.
“The Woman with the Dragon Tattoo”: Director David Fincher provided the position to Natalie Portman, however she she turned it down. A then unknown Rooney Mara was forged and was nominated for an Oscar for it.
Timothy Olyphant was initially provided the position of Dom Toretto in “The Quick and the Livid.” After he turned it down, producers met with Vin Diesel and the remaining is historical past.
Danny DeVito was provided the position of George Costanza on “Seinfeld.” Larry Miller, Brad Corridor, David Alan Grier, Nathan Lane, Steve Buscemi, Paul Shaffer and Chris Rock additionally examined for the half, which went to Jason Alexander.
Josh Hartnett says he turned down taking part in Superman, Batman and Spider-Man â’¬’ saying “I one way or the other knew these roles had potential to outline me, and I did not need that.”
“The Wrestler”: Nicolas Cage was initially connected, however turned it down for unknown causes. It turned out to be Mickey Rourke’s Oscar-nominated comeback.
“Salt”: After Tom Cruise determined to drop out, the half was re-written as a lady to permit Angelina Jolie to play the title character.
“9”: Javier Bardem turned down the position of Guido within the musical attributable to exhaustion. Daniel Day Lewis stepped in to what turned out to be an unmemorable film.
“Michael Clayton”: Denzel handed on the half as a result of he did not wish to work with a first-time director in Tony Gilroy. Clooney swooped in and scored an Oscar nod.
“Lord of the Rings”: Sean Connery turned down the a part of Gandalf as a result of he did not perceive the fabric. Ian McKellan was then completely forged in one of the crucial legendary franchises in historical past.
“Lincoln”: Liam Neeson was Steven Spielberg’s first selection for Lincoln, however he determined to show it down for unknown causes. Daniel Day Lewis was forged and received his third Greatest Actor Oscar for it.
“Jerry Maguire”: Cameron Crowe wrote the half for Hanks, however he turned it all the way down to direct “That Factor You Do!” Tom Cruise scored an Oscar nod for this â’¬’ one in every of his most iconic roles.
“Gladiator”: Mel Gibson turned down the position of Maximus within the Greatest Image winner as a result of he felt that he was too previous (he was in his mid-40’s). Russell Crowe performed him to Oscar-winning perfection.
“Forrest Gump”: John Travolta stated turning Forrest down was one of many largest errors of his profession. However truthfully, Tom Hanks is the one one that might make him one of the crucial well-known characters of the final century.
“Dallas Purchaser’s Membership”: Ryan Gosling was connected, however when funding fell via, he dropped out to pursue different initiatives. Matthew McConaughey stepped into the position of a lifetime.
“On line casino Royale”: Hugh Jackman was provided the a part of James Bond, however turned it down as a result of he did not wish to be typecast. Daniel Craig proved to be the wiser.
“The Bourne Id”: Brad Pitt turned down the position of Jason Bourne as a result of he was engaged on his personal spy film â’¬’ Spy Sport. Matt Damon turned out to guide a multi-million greenback franchise.
“Boogie Nights”: On the top of his post-“Titanic” profession, DiCaprio turned down the possibility to play porn star Dirk Diggler and regretted it. His pal Mark Wahlberg took the position on this cult traditional.
