An average movie lasts between 90 to 120 minutes. But this is only the final result of hours and hours of footage. This means a lot of scenes were left on the cutting floor, never to be seen ever.
This means a lot of times, there are actors were unfortunate enough that they are cut from a movie completely. Even big stars are not exempted from this, as we have heard stories of big actors who appear in the trailer of a movie yet are nowhere to be seen in the movie.
There are many reasons for actors being cut from the final products: Creative differences, the studio or movie makers wanting to change the story, a strict limit on duration, and even more.
Most of these cuts are buried forever, while some are lucky enough to resurface on the Internet. And only then do we know that these 16 actors were cut from their movies.
#1 Robert Pattinson - Vanity Fair
Source: Marechal Aurore / ABACA / Abaca / East News, © Vanity Fair / Focus Features and co-producers
The Twilight star landed a modest role in Vanity Fair in 2004, playing Reese Witherspoon's kid. However, all of the sequences involving Robert were cut from the final version. And the actor learned about it during the VIP screening.
#2 Tobey Maguire - Life of Pi
Source: Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP / East News, © Life of Pi / Fox 2000 Pictures and co-producers
Tobey Maguire portrayed the writer who interviewed the main character in his adulthood in Life of Pi. However, the director opted to cut his scene because he felt Maguire was too famous and would draw too much attention to his small role. As a result, it was reshot with a different actor, Rafe Spall.
#3 Carice van Houten - Body of Lies
Source: © Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 3.0, © Body of Lies / Warner Bros. and co-producers
Carice van Houten plays the main character's wife in Ridley Scott's Body of Lies. However, the sequences involving her were cut from the final cut of the film. Her name is just stated briefly.
#4 Ellen Pompeo - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Source: agefotostock / East News, © Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind / Focus Features and co-producers
Ellen Pompeo was cast as Naomi, Joel Barish's ex-girlfriend in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. All of her scenes were completed, but the director believed that her presence would detract from the essential interaction between Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey during editing. As a result, they were cut from the film.
#5 Matthew Fox - World War Z
Source: Lionel Guericolas / MPP / Starface / STARFACE PHOTO / East News, © World War Z / Paramount Pictures and co-producers
The actor appeared in World War Z as a parajumper who saves Gerry Lane and his family. He was scheduled to play a much larger role, but the screenplay was revised five times, so Matthew Fox only received five lines of speech and all of his other scenes were removed.
#6 Tim Roth - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Source: Invision / Invision / East News, © Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood / Columbia Pictures and co-producers
Tim Roth appeared in multiple Quentin Tarantino films, including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and The Hateful Eight. The filmmaker requested him to act in Tarantino’s tenth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as butler Jay Sebring. However, the film was excessively long, so Tarantino cut all sequences involving Roth's character.
#7 Sarah Michelle Gellar - funny Farm
Source: Birdie Thompson / AdMedia / SIPA / EAST NEWS, © Funny Farm / Warner Bros. and co-producers
In 1988, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s star starred in Funny Farm, starring Chevy Chase. All of Sarah's scenes were removed for unknown reasons.
#8 Harrison Ford - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Source: © Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 3.0, © E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial / Universal Pictures and co-producers
Harrison Ford starred in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The actor played the school principal for a little time. However, the director eventually determined that the scene with Ford's character simply demanded too much attention, so he cut it.
#9 Michael Biehn - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Source: © Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 3.0, © Terminator 2: Judgment Day / Carolco Pictures and co-producers
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Michael Biehn reprised his role as Kyle Reese. Sarah Connor saw him in a nightmare in the original screenplay, warning her that John was Skynet's goal. Because of time constraints and the fact that those who hadn't watched the previous film would have no clue who Kyle was, James Cameron cut the scene.
#10 Jamie Dornan - Burnt
Source: Elizabeth Goodenough / Everett Collection / East News, © Burnt / 3 Arts Entertainment and co-producers
Jamie Dornan had a 2-minute scene in Burnt that was cut. He was meant to play Helene's previous partner and engage in a fight scene with her. The sequence was eliminated when test audiences disapproved of it.
#11 Uma Thurman - Savages
Source: Bakounine / ABACA / Abaca / East News, © Savages / Relativity Media and co-producers
In Oliver Stone's Savages, Uma Thurman played "Paqu," O's mother, but her sequences were cut. To this day, we still don’t know why.
#12 Kevin Costner- The Big Chill
Source: © NASA / Bill Ingalls / Wikimedia Commons, © The Big Chill / Columbia Pictures and co-producers
The comedy The Big Chill begins with the main protagonists attending the funeral of their classmate Alex Marshall. Kevin Costner played Alex, although practically all of his scenes were cut. He is still visible at the start of the ceremony, amid the preparations.
#13 Ashley Judd - Natural Born Killers
Source: Hahn Lionel / ABACA / EAST NEWS, © Natural Born Killers / Warner Bros. and co-producers
Ashley Judd portrayed the only survivor of one of the main characters Mickey and Malory's attacks in Oliver Stone's crime film Natural Born Killers. Judd had a lengthy court scene, but it was cut.
#14 Liv Tyler - Everyone Says I Love You
Source: VNX / Capital Pictures / Capital Pictures / East News, © Everyone Says I Love You / Miramax and co-producers
The star of Stealing Beauty appeared in a scene in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You in 1996. Tyler spent some time on set as the girl Scott Dandridge is madly in love with. However, the scene was cut because Allen wanted to make the movie shorter.
#15 Michelle Monaghan - Constantine
Source: © Greg2600 / Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 2.0, © Constantine / Warner Bros. and co-producers
The actress played Ellie, a half-demon with whom Constantine had a romance in Constantine. However, the filmmaker cut practically all of the scenes with Michelle Monaghan during editing because he wanted Keanu Reeves' character to appear more lonely.
#16 Katherine Langford - Avengers: Endgame
Source: © Daria Kobayashi Ritch / katherinelangford / Instagram, © Avengers: Endgame / Marvel Studios and co-producers
Katherine Langford portrayed Morgan Stark, Iron Man's adult daughter, in Avengers: Endgame. Tony and Morgan discuss what he's just done at the moment, and she then forgives him. However, the scene was canceled because the director could not imagine Tony's emotional bond with his adult daughter.