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  Table of content    
  1. Harry Styles
  2. Tom Jones
  3. Tobey Maguire
  4. Dustin Hoffman
  5. Carla Gugino
  6. Richard Kind
  7. Jennifer Aniston
  8. Idris Elba
  9. Oprah

9 Actors Who Were Once Told They Were Too Famous For A Role

It is believed that the more famous actors are, the more chances they take on movie roles. We can see it clearly in most cases. Actors who build glittering careers and have numerous fans are often offered to play the lead role in major projects. Because of their reputation, Movies are paid more attention to and may become a hot topic of discussion for a long time. 

However, several special cases exist when actors were told to be too famous for a role. Filmmakers are afraid they become a model role for a certain amount of fans. So, it’s difficult for them to see their idols in a new aspect though, after all, they just take on a role. 

We found some actors who were told to be too famous for a role. 

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#1. Harry Styles

Harry Styles was offered to act in the Elvis biopic but eventually was turned down. Director Baz Luhrmann felt that “he’s Harry Styles; he's already an icon.”

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#2. Tom Jones

Tom Jones was supposed to play James Bond but producer Cubby Broccoli thought that he was too recognizable in his own right as a “singer with a big character”. He was afraid that people didn’t accept him as being James Bond. 

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#3. Tobey Maguire

Tobey Maguire was turned down a role on Life of Pi because director Ang Lee decided to go with an entirely international cast. However, it was reported that Tobey Maguire was too famous for the small part, especially in a film without huge stars beyond Maguire. 

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#4. Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman was too recognizable to be in The Elephant Man. Jonathan Sanger said, “We're always going to be looking to see where the Elephant Man ends and Dustin Hoffman begins.” Eventually, the role went to John Hurt, who was not at the level of fame of Hoffman. John Hurt is a talented actor, winning an Oscar for his performance in Kramer vs. Kramer. 

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#5. Carla Gugino

According to the actress, film creator Matthew Weiner said, she was too famous to star in the Mad Men and he didn’t want to “hire anyone whose renown might detract from her ability to disappear into the role.”

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#6. Richard Kind

Source: HBO

Richard Kind was supposed to be too famous for Curb Your Enthusiasm. The actor made a huge effort to convince him he wasn’t, and ended up on the show. 

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#7. Jennifer Aniston

The filmmaker really wanted to hire a major star to act in Office Space. However, they worried because the actress was too famous as it was smaller. Jennifer Aniston replied “I don't think I was the biggest anything at the time. I was excited about doing a comedy like Office Space; features like that weren't flying my way at that point.”

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#8. Idris Elba

Idris Elba starred as Commandant in Beasts of No Nation, in which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and won a SAG award. However, writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga previously didn’t want to cast him because he was too famous. 

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#9. Oprah

Due to her fame, Oprah lost out on the role in Doubt. Director John Patrick Shanley apparently said, "It wasn’t long enough [of a scene] to lose the Oprah factor.” Viola Davis took on the part and was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Mrs. Miller. 

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Do you know someone more? Let us know in the comments. 

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