Everyone makes mistakes once or twice, Some are disastrous and other times you dodge a bullet. When someone in the entertainment field makes a bad decision it can cost them literally millions of dollars if not more. When an actor or an actress turns down a role someone else is going to get it. Sometimes that might be an established actor but in a lot of cases, the role can go to an unknown. When that unknown takes on that one role and uses it to launch themselves an iconic or even a pretty decent career, that mistake could cost the original actor many millions of dollars. John Travolta has turned down so many iconic roles that its mind boggling how he is still in the business at all. It’s fun to learn about what famous roles were actually offered to someone else first. Pretty Woman was a hit in everyone’s eyes and it was loved around the world. When they were casting, however, the main roles were turned down by several actresses and actors. In fact, it ended up having to be completely rewritten in order to get people interested in it. Check out these other unbelievable missed opportunities by major Hollywood celebrities.
Famous Roles That Were Originally Offered To Other Actors
#1 Han Solo (Star Wars) – Al Pacino, Christopher Walken
George Lucas had a format, and that was to never use the same actor more than once. He learned, though, that if an actor is good they will be remembered for the roles they play and it's as simple as that. He had used Harrison Ford in his American Graffiti movie so he was automatically disqualified from being used in Star Wars. The top two names on the list were Christopher Walken and Al Pacino. Pacino turned it down because he didn't understand what the movie was all about. So after several actors turned down the part, Ford was cast, making it one of many classic performances over his long, successful career.
#2 Agent Dana Scully (The X-Files) – Pamela Anderson
They wanted a tall, leggy, busty woman to play Agent Scully, and Pamela Anderson was at the top of the list. The problem is that she was at the top of her fame on the show Baywatch. She hadn't yet auditioned for the role and lawyers were already working behind the scenes to get her into the series. But then Gillian Anderson did such a great job with her audition that they decided to go with an unknown and give her the part. Her interactions with David Duchovny on screen made the show a classic, and the rest as they say, is history. As for Anderson, she found out later on that she lost out and admitted she didn't really have the dramatic skills to pull the role off like Gillian did.
#3 Neo (The Matrix) – Will Smith
It's unusual for a film trilogy to be successful, but The Matrix is in that category. We think that's partly due to star Keanu Reeves. At the time the first one was made Will Smith was on top of the world from his performances in Men in Black and Independence Day. He had calls coming in every day wanting him to play roles and he obviously had to turn a lot of them down. One of those that he rejected was the part of Neo in The Matrix. He later said that he just didn't understand the script or the role. Keanu was offered the role on suggestion of one of the line producers but he had been a major flop in almost everything he starred in except for Speed. Accepting the role of Neo gave him a boost in his career and now it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part.
#4 Miranda Hobbes (Sex and the City) – Sandra Bernhard
Cynthia Nixon played the role of Miranda Hobbes for many years on Sex and the City and she did a great job with the part. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part of the red-headed lawyer. The role was originally offered to Sandra Bernhard and producers practically begged her to reconsider after turning the role down eight times, and you have to wonder why. She said the script was "terrible" and a "disaster". She also said the money they offered her was embarrassingly low. She didn't hold back when discussing her dislike for Sarah Jessica Parker either as she added. "(I would have had) to play third or fourth fiddle to (Parker) and put up with her sh*t. It would have been hideous to work with her."
#5 Clarice Starling (The Silence of the Lambs) – Michelle Pfeiffer
Director Jonathan Demme was set on using Michelle Pfeiffer in the main role of Clarice Starling for Silence of the Lambs, but there was a problem. Screenwriter Ted Tally wanted Jodie Foster for the role and he wasn't about to back down. After a lot of internal struggling over the issue, Pfeiffer made it easy for them when she rejected the role. She said the movie was too violent and the subject was too heavy and that she preferred films that weren't written to be successful commercial hits. What? She also turned down roles in Pretty Woman and Basic Instinct so she stuck to her guns on that mystifying belief. Foster took the part and made it the classic it is today.
#6 George Costanza (Seinfeld) – Paul Shaffer
When the cast of the super hit show Seinfeld was being put together. The show wanted Paul Shaffer to play the role of George Costanza and it was his to lose. He wasn't even going to be required to audition for it. They wanted him and that was that. But there was a slight problem. He never returned any of the producer's phone calls. He said that at the time he was "too busy" to think about a role on an unknown sitcom so he decided to not even bother to return the call. Paul Shaffer's loss was a career born for Jason Alexander, who made the character of George one of television's most memorable in history. There isn't a Seinfeld fan in the world that would have wanted to see anyone other than Alexander in that funny and important role. All of those people should send Paul Shaffer a hearty thank you!
#7 Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City) – Dana Delany
It's har to imagine anyone else playing Carrie other than Sarah Jessica Parker. Dana Delany was originally offered the role of Carrie and she only turned the part down for one reason: She didn't think she was stylish enough to be able to pull off the leading part of a fashion designer. Despite excelling in it, Parker wasn't a shoe-in for the role. Once Delaney turned it down Parker was offered the part but she too almost turned it down. She was focusing her career on theater and movies at the time and she was very hesitant to give a television show a try. Despite excelling in it, Parker wasn't a shoe-in for the role. Once Delaney turned it down Parker was offered the part but she too almost turned it down. She was focusing her career on theater and movies at the time and she was very hesitant to give a television show a try.
#8 Tony Soprano (The Sopranos) – Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta has played countless bad guy and mafia related roles over his illustrious career. It's not a surprise that when the cast was being put together for The Sopranos that Liotta was approached first for the lead role of Tony Soprano. He had already played in Goodfellas and the producers wanted him for the lead in this series. Bur Liotta wanted to stay in film and not do TV, so he ditched the offer. James Gandolfini was then offered the role and he went on to turn it into one of the greatest roles in the history of television.
#9 Michael Corleone (The Godfather) – Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford
The Godfather, from 1977, is one of the greatest movies of all time. But putting the cast together proved to be difficult to producers and casting agents. Believing the topic was risky, they wanted a known actor for Michael Corleone. They offered it to both Jack Nicholson and Robert Redford. They both turned the script down and then they auditioned Warren Beatty, Ryan O'Neal, and Dustin Hoffman. They all refused to take the part. It was eventually given to Al Pacino who turned in one of the greatest performances in movie history and made him a household name and sex symbol.
#10 Vivian (Pretty Woman) – Molly Ringwald, Michelle Pfeiffer
When directors and producers were assembling the cast for Pretty Woman they had two women in mind for the role of Vivian, a down and out prostitute. Molly Ringwald was the first one offered the role and she made a huge mistake by turning it down. She also made another huge mistake by turning down the lead role in Ghost as well. Michelle Pfeiffer also turned down the part and it eventually went to Julia Roberts, making her an overnight sensation and box office queen. Ringwald messed up on Ghost as well, giving the part to Demi Moore.
#11 Edward Lewis (Pretty Woman) – Al Pacino
As mentioned previously, there were all sorts of issues when casting Pretty Woman, and producer Gary Marshall almost scrapped it completely. Several women turned down the chance to play Vivian before it was given to Julia Roberts. But that wasn't as hard as it was when casting the male lead, Edward Lewis, but it was still turned down by the man Marshall had in mind for it. Al Pacino was originally slated to play the successful businessman but it ended up going to Richard Gere. He did a great job with the role and he was half of the reason it was a box office smash hit. Pacino said his decision to turn down roles actually turned out to be career-makers for several actors. He also passed on Die Hard before Bruce Willis made it a huge hit.
#12 Vivian (Pretty Woman) – Darryl Hannah, Meg Ryan
As we said before, many people had the chance to star in Pretty Woman. We all know that Julia Roberts won the main role of Vivian, but there's even more to the casting horrors. It wasn't originally a comedy, but instead a dark thriller with a mystery plotline. Darryl Hannah and Meg Ryan both also turned down the role of Vivian. We already talked about how Molly Ringwald and Michelle Pfeiffer also rejected it. But then the script was rewritten and the other girls were doing other projects. The only one left standing was Julia Roberts, and she made the role her own. She'll always be remembered as Pretty Woman.
#13 Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark) – Tom Selleck
Lucas didn't want to use him in Star Wars because he had already used him in American Graffiti. When Lucas was an Executive Producer on Raiders of the Lost Ark he didn't want to use Ford again, for the role of Indiana Jones. This despite the fact that Ford had nailed every role had taken to that point in his career. Steven Spielberg wanted to use Ford but eventually backed down and the role was offered to Tom Selleck. It seems hard to imagine Selleck in the iconic role now, but he actually filmed several scenes before being told he wasn't cutting the mustard. He had already taken time off from his Magnum PI series to film it so it came as a surprise when they brought in Ford to replace him.
#14 Michael Scott (The Office) – Paul Giamatti
Steve Carell is one of those guys that carried out a role so well that he will be forever known as that one character. He's gone on to do several films, but he still is known for The Office. He almost didn't get the chance though as the role was originally offered to dramatic actor Paul Giamatti. Giamatti turned down the role flat after reading just two scenes of the script. The role was also offered to Ben Falcone, Rainn Wilson and Alan Tudyk before they asked Carell if he was interested. Wilson ended up playing the role of Dwight Schrute on the show, Michael Scott's right-hand man. Carell was so good at the part of the boss of Dunder Mifflin that when he finally left the show it was doomed. They tried several people on the show to replace him but none of them worked and the show was eventually canceled.
#15 Forrest Gump – John Travolta, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray
Sometimes our instincts just don't work out so well, and the truth is that John Travolta has poor instincts. Some of the roles he decided to take turned out really really well, but more often than not, they didn't. He is responsible for giving many successful roles to Tom Hanks, including Forrest Gump. Travolta turned down roles in Forest Gump, Splash and Apollo 13. Hanks took all of those roles and because of them, he is one of the most respected actors of our time.
Hanks wasn't a shoe in for Forrest Gump though, he had to wait for it to be rejected by both comedic actors Chevy Chase and Bill Murray before the offer finally came his way. He used the part to collect his second Oscar. He became just the second actor in history to get an Academy Award for Best Actor two consecutive years.
