Would the movie Forest Gump be the same if the lead actor was John Travolta instead of Tom Hanks? This scenario was about to happen if Travolta didn’t reject the role in the first place . He’s not alone. Molly Ringwald also recently announced on Reddit she was offered Julia Robert‘s iconic role in “Pretty Woman.” Here are 25 actors who rejected huge movie roles.
25| Jack Nicholson declined an offer to play Michael Corleone in “The Godfather”
(Photo by Wikimedia Commons/Screengrab)
Role was played by: Al Pacino Nicholson admitted in a 2004 interview with Movieline that he passed on the iconic role because he knew it wasn’t his to play. ”Back then I believed that Indians should play Indians and Italians should play Italians … There were a lot of actors who could have played Michael, myself included, but Al Pacino was Michael Corleone. I can’t think of a better compliment to pay him.”
24| Al Pacino turned down a lot of big roles, including an offer to play Han Solo in “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”
(Photo by AP/Screengrab)
According to The Atlantic Wire, Al Pacino was very selective when it came to movie roles. Early on he passed on a bunch of big parts including Han Solo in “Star Wars.” “I know what this is going to be like,” said Pacino. “You’re [Francis Ford Coppola] going to be up there in a helicopter telling me what to do, and I’m gonna be down there in a swamp for five months.”
23| Angela Bassett openly rejected the role of Leticia in “Monster’s Ball”
(Photo by Wiki Commons/Screengrab)
Role was played by: Halle Berry Angela Bassett turned down the role, openly telling Newsweek she didn’t want to fit a cliché. ”I wasn’t going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn’t do that because it’s such a stereotype about black women and sexuality.” The role earned Berry a Best Actress Oscar, making her the first African-American woman to receive the award.
22| Halle Berry passed on the chance to play Annie in “Speed”
(Photo by Chris Carlson/AP Images, Screengrab)
Role was played by: Sandra Bullock Imagine how different action flick “Speed” would have been if Halle Berry was driving the bus. She also turned down box-office bomb, “Gigli.”
21| Keanu Reeves declined to star as Private Chris Taylor in “Platoon”
(Photo by Shutterstock / Featureflash, Screengrab)
Role was played by: Charlie Sheen Reeves reportedly turned down the lead role in the 1986 Vietnam war film.
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