11 Million-Dollar Roles That Were Turned Down By Actors And It Affected Their Professional Fate

Hollywood is full of almosts or what-ifs. Imagine Brad Pitt as Neo, Josh Hartnett as Batman, or Halle Berry as the lady that drives in the bus in “Speech”. Believe it or not, all of the above might have happened if those actors had said “yes”. In the history of Hollywood, plenty of incredibly famous, million-dollar roles were almost portrayed by someone else.
These actors are very open about the high-profile parts they turned down and the pangs of regret left behind. Usually, it’s a case of a scheduling conflict but sometimes an actor doesn’t recognize a great part when they see it and ends up kicking themselves for passing up a role of a lifetime. On the other side, some actors don’t regret it, they’re glad that the casting directors found the right choices.
Here is a list of actors and actresses who refused to play iconic characters. If you're looking for more articles about this topic, click here, here, and here.

#1 Emily Browning — Bella Swan, Twilight saga

Source: © The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 / Summit Entertainent, © Gilbert Flores / Broadimage / Broad Image / East News

Kristen Stewart is best known for starring as Bella Swan in the Twilight saga. However, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer’s first pick for the role was actress Emily Browning but the actress turned the role down. She never regretted it because the actors who played in the flick became enormously successful and famous, and she was not ready for that.

#2 Josh Hartnett — Superman and Batman

Source: © Superman Returns / Warner Bros. Pictures, © Invision/Invision/East News

Josh Hartnett, who refused the role of Superman and Batman, didn’t regret his decision and said that it was the only right one he’d made. The actor shared that he didn’t want to become the hostage of stereotyped roles and that’s why didn’t consider this collaboration. Eventually, the role went to Brandon Routh.

#3 Matthew Broderick — Walter White, Breaking Bad

Source: © Breaking Bad / Sony Pictures Television, © Invision/Invision/East News

The creators of the Breaking Bad series initially picked the main role in “Breaking Bad” to Matthew Broderick but the actor turned this offer. Finally, Bryan Cranston got this role and did his best. After refusing the role, Broderick took part in many movies but they didn’t bring him success. Today, he does voice-overs for animated characters.

#4 Laurence Fishburne — Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction

Source: © Pulp Fiction / Miramax Films, © JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / AFP / East News

Samuel L. Jackson played Jules in “Pulp Fiction”, in which he got a BAFTA award for Best Film Actor in a Supporting Role. However, Laurence Fishburne was originally offered to play the character but he turned it down. For years, Fishburne has only remained Morpheus from “The Matrix”.

#5 Jennifer Love Hewitt — Prue Halliwell, Charmed

Source: © Charmed / Paramount Pictures, © Mary Evans / Allstar / Graham Whitby Boot / East News

When actress Shannen Doherty left the project Charmed at the end of the 3rd season, the creators were puzzled about the future destiny of her character, Prue Halliwell. Jennifer Love Hewitt was considered to fit the role but the actress turned it down. Eventually, it was decided to remove Prue Halliwell from the list of the series’ characters.

#6 Ja Rule — Tej Parker, The Fast and the Furious saga

Source: © Furious 6 / Original Film, © Mary Evans/Allstar/Graham Whitby Boot/East News

After rap singer Ja Rule made a cameo appearance in the first part of “The Fast and the Furious”, he was expected to take part in the official cast. However, he refused. The director of the movie even had to follow Ja around to get an answer, but there was nothing changed. Ja Rule continued to star in other films but it didn’t bring him much success.

#7 Nicolas Cage — Aragorn, Lord Of The Rings trilogy

Source: © The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / New Line Cinema, © Invision/Invision/East News

Nicolas Cage missed the chance to play Aragorn in the  “Lord Of The Rings” trilogy because he didn’t simply leave his home for a long time. Eventually, Viggo Mortensen became the first High King of the Reunited Kingdom and gained world fame thanks to his role. On the other hand, Nicolas’ roles mainly caused furious comments.

#8 Molly Ringwald — Vivian Ward, Pretty Woman

Source: © Pretty Woman / Walt Disney Studios, © Mary Evans / AF Archive / Graham Whitby Boot / East News

Molly Ringwald was invited to play Vivian Ward in “Pretty Woman” and refused it. After the success of the movie, the actress totally regretted having made this decision. Julia Roberts got the role and did her best.

#9 Michael Madsen — Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction

Source: © Pulp Fiction / Miramax Films, © Kill Bill: Vol. 2 / Miramax Films

It’s hard to imagine that someone else portrays Vincent Vega except John Travolta. Many might not know that the role was initially gone to Michael Madsen but he said no because of his conflicting schedule. Michael recalls the rejection of this role with humor and says that it's unlikely that someone would've been happier to see him instead of Travolta.

#10 Oliver Hudson — Jack Pearson, This Is Us

Source: © This Is Us / 20th Century Studios, © Todd Williamson / Invision / AP / East News

Oliver Hudson preferred to go on a 10-day fishing trip instead of starring as Jack Pearson in “This Is Us”. Eventually, it was Milo Ventimiglia who played the main role and got several Emmy nominations for it.

#11 Claire Danes — Rose DeWitt Bukater, Titanic

Source: © Titanic / 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, © Mary Evans/Allstar/Cinetext/Mark Liley./ East News

Thanks to the role of Rose in “Titanic”, Kate Winslet gained international fame and got a nomination for an Oscar. However, initially, Claire Danes was offered to portray the role and claimed she was tired and bored with her most recent projects. Moreover, Danes also didn’t want to act with DiCaprio, because not long before Titanic, they both appeared in William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet.