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12 Actors Who Played Hard-To-Get Before Accepting The Role of Their Life

Making a good movie isn’t easy. One of the most important factors for a good movie is the cast. Hollywood’s most beloved movies would be a lot different if the lead actors decided to pass on their roles. Can you imagine Titanic with Matthew McConaughey and Gwyneth Paltrow or Alan Rickman didn’t play Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” movies? Believe it or not, those were possibilities.
Many actors almost rejected their iconic movie roles. It’s often a case of a scheduling conflict, but sometimes actors just don’t recognize a great part when they see it and nearly end up kicking themselves for passing up a role of their life.
We compiled the stories of some actors and actresses who almost turned down incredible roles, but someone convinced them in time that they should accept them.

#1 Mark Ruffalo as Hulk in “The Avengers”

Source: © The Avengers / Marvel Studios and co-producers, © everett225 / Depositphotos

It is impossible to imagine any other actors besides Mark Ruffalo playing the role of Hulk in MCU’s The Avengers. In an interview with Variety, the actor recalled the time Marvel offered him the iconic role. He revealed that he tried to talk them out of casting him because he did not feel like he was the right guy for the job. However, Downey Jr., playing Iron Man, encouraged him to accept so they could work together.

#2 Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in “Hunger Games”

Source: © The Hunger Games / Lionsgate and co-producers© everett225 / Depositphotos

Lawrence typically went for films with considerably lower budgets and worked with indie filmmakers. Therefore, when the role of Katniss was presented to her, Lawrence nearly turned it down. She felt that "Hunger Games" would be too big of a film for her to be involved in and was pretty set on passing on the part. Luckily, her mom managed to talk some sense into her.

#3 Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack in “Titanic”

Source: © Titanic / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers© PopularImages / Depositphotos

Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role of Jack in “Titanic”, but he almost let go of it. Thankfully, Paul Rudd, his co-star in 1996’s Romeo and Juliet, talked him through his doubts. As fate would have it, Rudd's father was a Titanic expert, which made him even more excited and eager to convince DiCaprio.

#4 Christian Bale as Batman in “Batman Begins”

Source: © Batman Begins / Warner Bros. and co-producers© PopularImages / Depositphotos

Christian Bale is highly regarded as one of the best Batman actors in cinema. Despite the appreciation and gratitude he has for the character, Bale admitted that he didn't get Batman at first because he always found it kind of laughable. Fortunately, the famous British-American film director, Christopher Nolan personally went to convince Bale.

#5 Maggie Gyllenhaal as Elizabeth in “Donnie Darko”

Source: © Donnie Darko / Pandora Cinema and co-producers© Jean_Nelson / Depositphotos



In an interview, Richard Kelly, the director of Donnie Darko shared that Maggie nearly rejected the role of Elizabeth. Firstly, the actress believed that she was only being offered the role because she was Jake Gyllenhaal's real-life sister. She thought the filmmaker should choose other actors to play the role. However, the way Maggie spoke, determined and selfless made the director determined to convince her to accept the role.

#6 Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones”

Source: © Game of Thrones / HBO and co-producers© RCF / MEGA/Mega Agency / East News

It's impossible to imagine anyone but actor Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister on "Game of Thrones”. In a Reddit AMA, the actor revealed he nearly turned down the part.  Before "Game of Thrones," Dinklage was a star on the horizon. He kept busy with small film roles and TV cameos. When being offered in “Game of Thrones”, he had one hesitation. He didn’t wear a long beard and pointy shoes. However, Benioff and co-creator Dan Weiss successfully convinced him.

#7 Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey in “Gossip Girl”

Source: © Gossip Girl / 17th Street Productions and co-producers© everett225 / Depositphotos

In an interview, Penn Badgley revealed that he nearly turned down the chance to play Dan Humphrey. Badgley explained that before “Gossip Girl”, he had appeared in many pilots and series that failed to take off, and the actor was concerned that “Gossip Girl” would suffer the same fate. Because the director couldn’t find anyone better to play him, the actor finally accepted.

#8 Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill in “Gangs of New York”

Source: © Gangs of New York / Miramax and co-producers© Mary Evans/AF Archive/Graham Whitby Boot / Mary Evans Picture Library / East News

After DiCaprio signed on to star in "Gangs of New York", the role of Bill was still open. Scorsese thought Day-Lewis would be a great fit for the role, but everyone knew the actor had retired from acting. Scorsese tasked DiCaprio with talking Day-Lewis into joining the production. Finally, Daniel Day-Lewis accepted this role.

#9 Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in “Lord of the Rings”

Source: © The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / New Line Cinema and co-producers© PopularImages / Depositphotos

Viggo Mortensen nearly rejected the role of Aragorn in “Lord of the Rings” because he didn’t work far from home. His son saw the script and spoke passionately to him about the movie. Eventually, the actor played the role.

#10 Tom Cruise as Maverick in “Top Gun”

Source: © Top Gun / Paramount Pictures and co-producers© 360ber / Depositphotos

Tom Cruise almost skipped out on Maverick, one of the most famous roles of his career. The producers took to fly with an expert at a facility in California to convince the actor to accept this role. They tried to give him an extreme flying experience, which they thought would scare him. Surprisingly, after getting off the plane, the actor decided to take on the role.

#11 Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady”

Source: © The Iron Lady / DJ Films and co-producers© everett225 / Depositphotos

Meryl Streep received a Golden Globes nomination for the role of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady”, but many might not know that she initially turned down the role. However, the director convinced her that she would have the opportunity to portray Thatcher in whichever way she wanted. Finally, the actress took on the character.

#12 Chris Evans as Captain America in “Captain America: The First Avenger”

Source: © Captain America: The First Avenger / Paramount Pictures and co-producers© PopularImages / Depositphotos

In 2011, Chris Evans made his first big-screen appearance as superhero Captain America in “Captain America: The First Avenger”. It may now seem impossible for Marvel fans to imagine any other actor in the role, but Evans once admitted that it took a lot of convincing to get him to sign on for the part. He said he felt scared of becoming too famous. Fortunately, his mother was successfully convinced when he asked her for advice.
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