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Actors who turned down great roles...

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Actors who turned down great roles...

Old 07-31-10, 12:01 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Buddy Ebsen began filming as the Tin Man in a little film called The Wizard of Oz ... (although Ebsen did not technically turn down the role ... he had to leave due to a reaction to the toxic make-up).
Old 07-31-10, 07:02 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

The thing that no-one has mentioned is if they went with the original choice would the film be any good or that same role great.
I think I once read that Kim Basinger turned down Basic Instinct. What if that was the worst choice anyone could have made and the film spent 1 week at the cinema and then went to the bargin bin?

Sometimes it's the choice of the actor that makes a role great, not really the role all the time.
Old 07-31-10, 09:32 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by jdslater1
The thing that no-one has mentioned is if they went with the original choice would the film be any good or that same role great.
I think I once read that Kim Basinger turned down Basic Instinct. What if that was the worst choice anyone could have made and the film spent 1 week at the cinema and then went to the bargin bin?
A Kim Basinger crotch shot, when she was at the height of her sexiness? How could that flop?
Old 07-31-10, 09:46 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by Joe Camel
The chatter in http://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/...ne-role-3.html about Tom Selleck passing on the Indiana Jones role got me thinking about great roles that were passed up.
The Magnum, P.I. producers would not release the actor for other projects, and, thus, Selleck had to pass on the equally enticing film project for the title role of Indiana Jones, which then went to the also recently discovered actor Harrison Ford.

The career-influencing choice between the role of Indiana Jones vs. Magnum P.I. actually haunted Selleck so much that before making the decision, he consulted his best friend on what to do. Together they came to the conclusion that taking the high road and honoring the first contract with Universal Studios was the career-savvy direction.

It turned out that the shooting of the pilot for Magnum was delayed for over six months (due to a writers' strike) which would have enabled him to complete the role as Indiana Jones, if he had the option to do so.
Old 07-31-10, 10:14 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by Sean O'Hara
A Kim Basinger crotch shot, when she was at the height of her sexiness? How could that flop?
There wouldn't have been a crotch shot with Basinger in the role, though. It would've been Final Analysis II.
Old 07-31-10, 11:00 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by MrSmearkase
There wouldn't have been a crotch shot with Basinger in the role, though. It would've been Final Analysis II.
Front crotch, rear crotch, it's still a crotch.
Old 07-31-10, 11:22 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Mark Wahlberg turned down the role of Ennis del Mar in Brokeback Mountain that eventually went to Heath Ledger because he was uncomfortale with the gay content.

If you believe Gwyneth Paltrow, she turned down the role of Rose in Titanic.
Old 07-31-10, 11:27 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

I remember Eddie Murphy citing his stupid career decisions in an interview. He passed on 'Rush Hour' saying that it was sure to fail, no one would see that, and took 'Holy Man' instead.

He laughed at himself for being so stupid.

He had a few more too, that I don't recall.
Old 07-31-10, 05:33 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Pacino's most regretful pass was Newman's role in Slap Shot.
Old 07-31-10, 09:50 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by Dr Mabuse
I remember Eddie Murphy citing his stupid career decisions in an interview. He passed on 'Rush Hour' saying that it was sure to fail, no one would see that, and took 'Holy Man' instead.

He laughed at himself for being so stupid.

He had a few more too, that I don't recall.
He was originally going to be in both Ghostbusters and Star Trek IV (in the part that eventually became Kirk's love interest). I say, "Thank God" those didn't work out.
Old 07-31-10, 10:47 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

I can't find reference to this now, but I am certain I heard that Lori Petty passed on the role of Lenina Huxley in Demolition Man (instead opting to do Tank Girl). Petty next passed on the role of Annie in Speed.

Sandra Bullock, say "thank you."

According to IMDB, Steven Segal, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Jackie Chan all passed on Demolition Man.
Old 07-31-10, 11:13 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by Abob Teff
I can't find reference to this now, but I am certain I heard that Lori Petty passed on the role of Lenina Huxley in Demolition Man (instead opting to do Tank Girl).
I think it may be more complicated than that. I believe Petty actually shot dome scenes for the flick.
Old 08-01-10, 12:27 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Supposedly Jackie Chan turned down Lethal Waepon IV because he didn't want to play a villain. Jet Li's American film career got started thanks to that.
Old 08-01-10, 12:33 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

I wonder if George Raft ever got a thank you card from Humphrey Bogart for passing on The Maltese Falcon. I can't imagine anyone else in the role of Sam Spade.

I think I posted the exact same question in a similar thread a while ago.
Old 08-01-10, 12:36 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

25. Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The part went to Ian McKellen. It’s interesting to note that Connery cost himself $400 million dollars by passing on the part (he was offered 15% of the film’s profit).
Hollywood accounting says that every movie loses money so who knows how much Connery really missed out on.
Old 08-01-10, 05:57 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

What the hell was Molly Ringwald thinking.
Old 08-05-10, 02:19 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by Rockmjd23

Hedy Lamarr turned down Ilsa in Casablanca.
Hedy did play "Ilsa" on the LUX RADIO THEATER version of "Casablanca".
Alan Ladd was "Rick".
Old 08-05-10, 02:27 AM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

SLY COULD HAVE BEEN HAN SOLO!!!



He woulda taken out the Empire single-handed.

Originally Posted by Diesel
No no no.

He would have beaten Vader down in a one on one match while being watched by the troopers.

Then after he won he would proclaim, "If I can change, and you can change...EVERYONE can change!!!"






Makes me wonder what Star Wars woulda been like with a cast of 80's badasses. I suppose Chuck Norris coulda been Luke. Though a 70's badass, Sonny Chiba could have been Obi-Wan.

Last edited by RocShemp; 08-05-10 at 02:31 AM.
Old 08-05-10, 01:29 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

61. Ian Asbury (singer for The Cult) turned down the role of Jim Morrison in The Doors. The part went to Val Kilmer.


Funny considering he later became the vocalist for The Doors during their 21st Century "Reunion" or what have you. So either he regretted the decision to do the movie a whole lot, or his sights were set MUCH higher from the get go.

Also, got a kick out of how many people turned down Roy in CEot3k. Guess Spielberg thought after the success of Jaws he could bring in some heavy hitters, but had no luck and thought "Sigh... guess I'll return Dreyfuss' call(s) about 'new projects.'"
Old 08-05-10, 02:03 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Didn't Burt Reynolds (along with Richard Gere and Kris Kristofferson) turn down the role of John McClane?
Old 04-18-11, 03:57 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Emilio Estevez turned down the "Cameron" role in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Old 04-18-11, 04:06 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Originally Posted by Meglos
Didn't Burt Reynolds (along with Richard Gere and Kris Kristofferson) turn down the role of John McClane?
I came here to post about Die Hard. I know several big names passed on the role before the studio settled on Willis (not sure who all of the big names were though).
Old 04-18-11, 04:35 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Eli Wallach quit FROM HERE TO ETERNITY early in production and was replaced by Frank Sinatra

Chuck Norris turned down the role of Kreese in THE KARATE KID

Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in THE MATRIX to do WILD WILD WEST

Peter Sellers opted not to do a fourth role as Maj. Kong in DR. STRANGELOVE because he had a bad ankle and was uncomfortable with the accent required. The role was turned over to Slim Pickens.

Timothy Dalton turned down his first offer as Bond and was replaced by George Lazenby

Tom Cruise turned down SALT (which was written with him in mind) and the script was modified for Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt famously bailed on THE FOUNTAIN and their were rumors Aronofsky nearly sued him over it.
Old 04-18-11, 07:30 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

Billy Crystal turned down the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. Later on, in the Monsters Inc special features, I believe it was one of the main guys behind the movie, said that Billy Crystal was kicking himself over that after the fact, but then he agreed to Monsters.

One of William Goldman's books talks about a script of his and once it was going to be produced, it went through so many combinations of directors and actors, it was insane. This doesn't seem out of the ordinary, but it was such that you would probably need a flowchart and a timeline to figure it all out.
Old 04-18-11, 08:16 PM
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Re: Actors who turned down great roles...

I've read many times that Elvis wanted, but turned down (on the advice of Tom Parker) the Kris Kristofferson role in A Star Is Born.

If true, I would have liked to have seen that version.

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