10+ Actors Who Initially Said 'No' To Iconic Roles, But Thank Goodness They Reconsidered
Ever wondered what if your favorite movie or TV character was played by someone else? Brace yourself for the surprising tales of 10+ actors who, believe it or not, initially rejected roles that later became iconic. These stars had reservations, hesitations, and sometimes downright refusals, but destiny intervened, and we're eternally grateful they changed their minds.
Get ready to dive into the captivating stories behind the scenes as we unveil why these actors nearly passed up on the roles that defined their careers.
#1. Rachel Zegler - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Source: Murray Close /© Lionsgate /Courtesy Everett Collection
#2. Jenna Ortega - Wednesday
Source: Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
#3. Chris Evans - Captain America: The First Avenger
Source: Jay Maidment/©Paramount Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection
When Marvel asked Chris Evans to do a screen test for the titular role in Captain America: The First Avenger, he saw it as a "fork in the road" because of the anxiety he'd recently developed, which included "having mini panic attacks on set." So he declined, but the studio later approached him and directly offered him the role.
With the help of his family, therapists, and co-star Robert Downey Jr., he realized he'd been "making decisions based on fear."
#4. Chris Pratt - Guardians of the Galaxy
Source: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
When Chris Pratt was first approached about playing Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, he said, "I don't think so," because he "just didn't picture [him]self getting the role" based on previous audition experiences.
"I didn't want to go and embarrass myself like I did when I auditioned for G.I. Joe a couple of years ago," he told Esquire. I walked in and noticed the director's eyes glaze over halfway through. It made sense because I was overweight and out of shape. I wasn't going to play a G.I. Joe character. "I didn't look like a living G.I. Joe action figure."
#5. Amanda Seyfried - The Dropout
Source: Beth Dubber / ©Hulu / Courtesy Everett Collection
#6. Emma Stone - La La Land
Source: Summit Entertainment / courtesy Everett Collection
When writer/director Damien Chazelle first met with Emma Stone to discuss the possibility of her playing Mia Dolan in La La Land, she was "very sick" from doing Cabaret on Broadway, and "the idea of doing another musical was like, 'You've got to be out of your mind.'"
She said to the Hollywood Reporter, "My voice was gone, and I was struggling to get through the shows... After Cabaret, I wasn’t sure I would ever sing or dance again."
#7. Jet Li - Emperor of China in Mulan (2020)
Source: Disney+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
Jet Li initially turned down the role of the Emperor of China in Mulan (2020) due to both the pay and the script. His then-17-year-old daughter, Jada, however, asked him if he was concerned about not being paid enough. "When a company like Disney wants to make a movie about Chinese culture, why don't you take part in it?" she asked when he said no.
His older daughter, Jane, agreed with Jada, so he agreed to take on the role for them.
#8. Ralph Fiennes - Harry Potter franchise
Source: Warner Bros / Courtesy Everett Collection
Ralph Fiennes was supposed to decline the role of Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. "In my stupid ignorance," he said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, "I hadn't read the books, I hadn't seen the first movies, and I was, I have to say, a little snobby about it."
"Until the casting director, great lady, English Lady, Mary Selway sat me down — I mean, I've known Mary for many years," he continued. She could be tough and insistent, and all she said was, "You have to do this movie." Simply do it, Ralph.' And she said it with such force. 'You're not going to do Voldemort?' said my sister, Martha, who has children. 'Are you considering saying no?'"
#9. Leonardo DiCaprio - Titanic
Source: 20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
#10. Laurence Fishburne - What's Love Got To Do with It
Source: Buena Vista Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection
#11. Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Terminator
Source: Orion Pictures Corp / Courtesy Everett Collection
"There's no one who will understand The Terminator better than you," director James Cameron told Arnold Schwarzenegger when they first met to discuss The Terminator. Arnold responded by saying, "Excuse me, but I don't want to regress in my career, because this guy only says, like, 27 lines." Instead, he wanted to play Kyle Reese.
"[James] says, 'Trust me,'" he told journalist Graham Bensinger. I'll shoot the character so that you're not only the best villain they've ever seen, but also the best hero."
#12. Alan Rickman - Die Hard
Source: 20th Century Fox / Everett Collection
When Alan Rickman was first approached about playing Hans Gruber in Die Hard, he read the script and exclaimed, "What the hell is this? "I'm not making an action film."
He stated, "Agents and people said: 'Alan, you don't understand, this doesn't happen,'" at a 2015 BAFTA Life in Pictures event. It's only your second day in Los Angeles, and already you've been asked to do this movie."
His character notes were given to producer Joel Silver, and they were included in the revised script.
#13. Lee Jae-wook - Alchemy of Souls
Source: tvN / Netflix / Via youtube.com
Last but not least, Lee Jae-wook initially declined to play Jang Uk in the fantasy television series Alchemy of Souls in South Korea, stating that "it was too difficult and [he] wondered whether [he]d be able to pull this project off well."
"But I think I came to do it solely out of my desire to take on a new challenge," he said to Xportnews. As an actor, I'm really happy with how everything turned out. Furthermore, isn't this a drama that you never know when to expect again? I'm hoping that my conclusion turned out well."