Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles

Al Pacino — 'Star Wars'

That's right — legendary film actor Al Pacino could have played the role of Han Solo in Star Wars. Pacino said that he was originally offered the role but turned it down due to a lack of understanding about the script. Star Wars could have been very different if not for this casting choice. Pacino is a good actor, but it would have been weird seeing him in the role. It is good thing Harrison Ford played the part.

Johnny Depp — 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is one of the most iconic 1980s movies, and the entire thing could have been very different if Johnny Depp had the lead role. Depp is a good actor, but Matthew Broderick seemed to be a more perfect fit. Johnny Depp turned down the role because of issues with his scheduling. It all worked out because Matthew Broderick took over the role, and the film became a cult classic for the ages.

Bette Midler — 'Sister Act'

As a leading actress and singer, it would have made sense for Bette Midler to be considered for the lead role in Sister Act. She nearly had the role too but turned it down because she wasn't cool with playing a nun. It was a good decision on her part. The film studio then offered the role to Whoopi Goldberg, and the rest is history. Goldberg also played the same role in the sequel for the film.

Jack Nicholson — ' The Godfather'

The Godfather is often regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. However, this great film could have taken a different turn if Jack Nicholson was in it. He was actually offered the role that was later performed by Al Pacino. Nicholson later said in an interview that he turned down the role because he felt uncomfortable playing an Italian character and felt that someone with an Italian heritage should play the role.

Molly Ringwald — 'Pretty Woman'

The iconic teen actress from the '80s Molly Ringwald could have played Julia Roberts' role in Pretty Woman. Ringwald was the star of so many great movies back in the day, but her career seemed to fade away by the '90s. This role could have saved her career had she agree to play it. She holds no regrets from it. Ringwald has said that Julia Roberts is amazing in the movie and deserved to have the role.

Sarah Michelle Gellar — 'Clueless'

Yes, the star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer could have also been the lead character of Clueless. While this predicament sounds like the most '90s thing ever, it never came to be. Alicia Silverstone played the part, but Sarah Michelle Gellar was originally offered to play it. The reason she turned it down was because she was busy acting in a soap opera at the time. If she did accept the part, the movie might have been slightly different.

Mark Wahlberg — 'Brokeback Mountain'

While it is hard to imagine anyone but Jake Gyllenhaal playing the role opposite of Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, this was almost the case. Director Ang Lee originally offered Gyllenhaal's part to Mark Wahlberg. While Wahlberg did seriously consider playing the part, he later turned it down. He said that he was concerned about the graphic nature of the script between the two cowboys. Perhaps he should have reconsidered because the film won a lot of awards.

Tom Selleck — 'Indiana Jones'

Tom Selleck and his iconic mustache could have been casted as the title character in Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford was the first choice for the role, but producer George Lucas didn't want to cast him in another film. After all, the two worked on Star Wars together. Selleck turned down the role because of his commitment to Magnum P.I.. Good thing he turned it down because Harrison Ford took it over and became a legend.

Gwyneth Paltrow — 'Titanic'

Gwyneth Paltrow nearly played the part of Rose in Titanic. However, she turned down the role. Years later, this seems like it was a mistake because Titanic is regarded as one of the greatest films ever. Paltrow has yet to provide a comment about why she turned down the part. Kate Winslet would take over the part and become a household name because of it. Even if Paltrow was in the movie, Jack would have still died at the end.

Leonardo DiCaprio — 'Boogie Nights'

Speaking of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio is also on this list because he also turned down a role in the film Boogie Nights. In fact, DiCaprio was the actor who was first offered the lead role in the film. He did consider playing the part, but he ultimately turned it down. The reason had nothing to do with the script really. DiCaprio turned it down because he decided to play the role of Jack in Titanic instead.

Emma Watson — 'La La Land'

La La Land did not win Best Picture, but Emma Stone did win Best Actress for her role in the movie. However, a different Emma could have played that role because Emma Watson was originally offered the part. Watson was attached to the movie during the early stages of development. However, when it became time to go into production, she was unavailable to play the role and turned it down. Had she accepted the role, she would have won the Oscar.

Harrison Ford —'Jurassic Park'

Given Harrison Ford's history of working with Steven Spielberg, it made sense to cast him in Jurassic Park as Dr. Alan Grant. Ford did consider playing the part. However, he later turned down the role. Up to this day, Ford has not yet provided a reason behind his decision. The movie became an iconic cult film, and Ford could have been a part of it. Nevertheless, it all worked out for everyone involved in the film.

Jim Carrey — 'Elf'

Jim Carrey is already in a popular Christmas movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He was also offered the lead role in Elf, another popular Christmas comedy. The script for Elf was written in 1993, ten years before it was filmed and released. Initially, Carrey was going to play the lead role, but then he turned his attention to playing the Grinch instead. It all worked out because Will Farrell shined in the funny role.

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Tom Cruise — 'Footloose'

Tom Cruise had his fair share of iconic movies in the 1980s. Footloose could have been another movie on that list had he accepted the lead role. The studio really wanted Cruise to take on the role in the movie. After giving it some thought, Cruise wanted to play the part. However, he was busy filming All the Right Moves. It all worked out because Kevin Bacon took over for Cruise, and the movie became a hit.

Matt Damon — 'The Dark Knight'

Settle down — Matt Damon was never offered part of Batman/Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight. However, he was offered to play the role of district attorney/villain Harvey Dent. Damon nearly took over the role, but then he had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. This is probably a decision he regrets. The Dark Knight is considered to be one of the greatest superhero films of all time, and Matt Damon could have been in it.

Tom Hanks — 'Jerry Maguire'

Actor Tom Cruise played the lead role in the popular '90s fiilm Jerry Maguire. However, a different Tom could have played the role — Tom Hanks. Reportedly, the lead role was written specifically for Tom Hanks. Can you image if Tom Hanks — and not Tom Cruise — played this role? In the end, Hanks turned down the opportunity due to his commitment with another project. Cruise took over, and the rest is film history.

Lindsay Lohan —'The Hangover'

Lindsay Lohan is no stranger to popular Hollywood comedies, as she was the star of Mean Girls. However, she could have added another movie to her resume — The Hangover. Lohan was originally offered the role of Jade in the movie. However, there were concerns that Lohan may have been a little too young for the role, so the studio gave the role to Heather Graham instead. It all worked out because the movie became a hit.

Henry Winkler — 'Grease'

Call it Fonzi-mania, but Henry Winkler — in his Happy Days glory — could have played the lead role in the movie musical Grease. The studio begged him to take on the role because they wanted to capitalize off of the success of his television show. However, Winkler was concerned that the character was too similar to Fonzi, so he turned down the role. Instead, John Travolta accepted the part, and the movie was successful.

John Travolta — 'Forrest Gump'

Speaking of John Travolta, he could have also played the title character in Forrest Gump. The studio wanted Travolta to play the role, but for whatever reason, Travolta turned them down. He has never to this day publicly explained why he turned down the part. However, he has admitted that turning down this role was one of the biggest regrets of his film career. Tom Hanks took over the role and won an Oscar for it.