10 Times These Iconic Movie Roles Were Almost Played By A Different Set of Actors
Throughout Hollywood history, there are several movie roles that are so iconic, when you think of the actor, you’d mention the role immediately as their best performance. To name a few, we have Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Robert Downey Jr. as the charismatic Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU, and Kate Winslet’s Rose in Titanic.
However, if things turned out differently back then, some of these famous roles could have been played by entirely different actors. I mean, could you ever imagine if Han Solo isn’t portrayed by Harrison Ford, or Jack isn’t Leonardo Di Caprio?
Today, let’s browse through these 10 iconic movie roles in the history of Hollywood, which could have been played by a different actor in an alternate universe, through these AI-generated images by u/Puzzled9379 on Reddit.
#1. Al Pacino as Han Solo (Star Wars)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Al Pacino turned down the role of Han Solo in Star Wars, because he was confused by the script. This is kind of ironic, since Harrison Ford, who portrays Solo in the franchise, doesn’t even like the character one bit.
#2. Johnny Depp as Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Johnny Depp was on board to star as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho back in 1992, before production had stalled.
#3. Matthew McConaughey as Jack Dawson (Titanic)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Matthew McConaughey auditioned for the role of Jack in Titanic, but as we all know, Leonardo DiCaprio nailed it perfectly.
#4. Ryan Gosling as Doctor Strange (MCU)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Ryan Gosling was one of the stars Marvel considered for the role of Doctor Strange alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. However, we all hope that the actor can appear in the MCU soon.
#5. Robin Williams as Hagrid (Harry Potter)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Robin Williams once reached out to J.K. Rowling about playing the role of Hagrid, but was rejected.
#6. Jack Nicholson as Michael Corleone (The Godfather)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Jack Nicholson was offered the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, but he turned it down as he thought that it should go to someone Italian. As a result, the role was passed to Al Pacino, an American actor of Italian descent.
#7. Tom Cruise as Tony Stark/Iron Man (MCU)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Tom Cruise was considered for the part of Iron Man, but he rejected it as he felt the project just wouldn't work for him. Thanks to this decision, Robert Downey Jr.’s career was resurrected.
#8. Tom Hiddleston as Loki (MCU)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Before Tom Hiddleston was cast to play Loki, he auditioned to be Thor, the God of Thunder. Looking at how well he portrays the God of Mischief, seems like Marvel did the right thing.
#9. Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Tom Selleck had to turn down the role of Indiana Jones because of the Magnum P.I. contract. The role, once again, belongs to Harrison Ford.
#10. Will Smith as Neo (The Matrix)
Source: u/Puzzled9379, Reddit
Will Smith was originally chosen to play Neo, but the actor declined. Having starred in the Men in Black franchise, it’s understandable why he was offered the role.
How would these Hollywood blockbusters turn out if these actors took the roles instead? Share your thoughts in the comments.