13 Stupid Reasons That Actors Turned Down Huge Roles

Have you ever refused a job? Perhaps the salary wasn’t worth the tasks being asked or a better offer suddenly appeared. This also happens in Hollywood.
Over the years, we can hear hundreds of cases of actors turning down the parts for different reasons. It may be because they have conflicting schedules, are trapped in work commitments, or they just step out of their comfort zone, stopping being typecasted. Except for the kind of legitimate reasons, others are somewhat bizarre and somehow stupid. Did you know, for example, that Liam Neeson rejected to portray James Bond because if he did, his fiancée would not marry him?
Below are 13 actors and actresses who turned major roles down for weird reasons. If you want to see more, read this article.

#1 Harrison Ford - Harrison Ford in Syriana

Source: Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images

He thought some of the events were misleading and historically inaccurate. The parts he objected to were cut after George Clooney was tapped for the part.

#2 John Lithgow – Joker in Batman

Source: jalithgow

The actor didn’t realize what a huge movie it would be. He says he “tried to persuade them I was not right for the part, and I succeeded”. He regretted it as soon as he heard Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson were also approached.

#3 Nicolas Cage – Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in The Wrestler

Source: Pinterest

It’s hard to imagine Cage bulking up enough to portray the role without getting addicted to steroids, and Cage himself agrees: “I didn’t think I had enough time to achieve the look of the wrestler who was on steroids, which I would never do”.

#4 Angela Bassett – Leticia Musgrove in Monster’s Ball

Source: im.angelabassett

People refer to her flip-sounding response when asked why she didn’t take the job: “it’s about character.” But it was really about playing into stereotypes: “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”.

#5 Josh Harnett refused to play in superhero movies

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Superhero movies were still kind of a joke after Batman & Robin and before Iron Man. The actor said, “A lot of people were asking me to do those types of movies” but none were worth the risk.

#6 Albert Brooks – Harry in When Harry Met Sally

Source: Getty Images

Brooks was ahead of the curve on hating Woody Allen, “It read to me like a Woody Allen movie, and I thought that was not something I should be in.”

#7 Matthew Modine – Pvt. J.T. “Joker” Davis in Top Gun

Source: Getty Images

Modine was tapped to play Maverick, but we were right in the middle of the Cold War, and he didn’t like the look of glorifying the military at the time.

#8 Jack Nicholson – Michael Corleone in The Godfather

Source: Wikipedia

He was invited to play Michael Corleone, but he thought he wasn’t quite right because “back then, I believed Indians should play Indians and Italians should play Italians.”

#9 Marilyn Monroe – Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s

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Truman Capote was pretty clear that Holly Golightly is not a prostitute; even still, Lee Strasberg convinced her that the role would be bad for her image.

#10 AI Pacino – Han Solo in Star Wars

Source: Paramount Pictures

Pacino could have played Han Solo but he didn’t get the script at the time. He calls that decision the crown jewel in his “museum of mistakes”.

#11 Gwyneth Paltrow – Rose in Titanic

Source: Getty Images

The actress actually won’t reveal the reason she wouldn’t play Rose, because her mom says it’s “not ladylike” to talk about turning down work.

#12 Hugh Jackman – Jame Bond in Casino Royale

Source: Getty / Kevin Winter

He thought the Bond movies needed to be grittier But when they came back with “you don’t get a say,” he walked.

#13 Eddie Murphy – Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters

Source: Getty / Rich Polk

While writing the script, Dan Aykroyd approached Murphy about playing Winston, but Murphy said it “sounds like a crock of sh*t to me”.