8 Bizarre Reasons Why These Actors Turned Down Major Roles But It Turned Out To Be A Right Decision

The beauty of films lies in escapism. In the cinema, there are many works that suck you into a screenwriter’s mind and make you forget the outside world. To gain it, actors play an important role to bring their characters to life. They are also encouraged to separate their real lives from their on-screen characters to better connect with the film.
To viewers, it might seem ridiculous that anyone would pass on an opportunity to star in a major movie, but there are some actors who refused to play huge roles for a myriad of reasons. But, it is believed that everything will fall into place and land just where it needs to be. Actors miss opportunities but life will bring them another one.
These 8 actors turned down major roles and their response may either shock you or assure you that maybe it was for the best. You can read more articles here, here, and here.

#1 Zendaya

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Alexandra Shipp fulfilled her role in “Aaliyah: Princess of R&B” well but many might not know that Zendaya was offered to be part. She said, “The main reasons were the production value wasn’t there. There were complications with the music rights. And I just felt like it wasn’t being handled delicately, considering the situation. And I tried my best to reach out to the family on my own, and I wrote a letter, but I was unable to do so. Therefore, I felt not really morally okay with moving forward with the project.”

#2 Leonardo DiCaprio

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The role of Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars” originally went to Leonardo DiCaprio. But he rejected the offer so it was offered to Hayden Christensen. DiCaprio said, “I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that, and I just didn’t feel ready to take that dive. At that point.”

#3 Jonah Hill

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The director of “The Hangover” made Jonah Hill choose any of the 3 main roles in the movie but, the actor decided not to be a part of the movie. He said, “I was getting lots of pressure to do movies like The Hangover, and obviously I love The Hangover, it’s hilarious, but it was a no-brainer for me.”

#4 Zac Efron

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In the remake of the film, Footloose, Zac Efron was the first choice to play Ren McCormack. But the actor passed on the chance and it was given to Kenny Wormald. Effron said, “All the things I loved about Footloose I couldn’t find in the project, they just weren’t there, I couldn’t see myself doing it.”

#5 Will Ferrell

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Will Ferrell stated that he didn’t regret when refusing to star in “Elf”. He said, “I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, ’Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money.’ And I thought, ’Can I actually say those words?’ I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.”

#6 Betty White

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Betty White almost appeared in the film “As Good As It Gets” as Beverly Connelly, but she turned the role down because of the dog scene in the film. She explained, “They had this adorable dog in it, but in one scene the guy goes down the hall and put the dog down the rubbish chute. Of course, it lands on some cushions, and it’s fine, but I didn’t want to set that example. The film was a tremendous hit, but I didn’t regret turning it down.”

#7 Bruce Willis

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Bruce Willis refused to star as Sam Wheat in the film “Ghost” because its storyline and the entire premise of the film were so confusing for him. Finally, Patrick Swayze took on the role. Bruce Willis said, “I just didn’t get it. Hey, the guy’s dead. ’How are you gonna have a romance?’ Famous last words.”

#8 Laurence Fishburne

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Laurence Fishburne was initially given an awesome opportunity to play Jules Winnfield in “Pulp Fiction” but he turned it down. Eventually, the role went to Samuel L. Jackson. Fishburne said, “It wasn’t about the part.”