Celebrities who rejected roles and later regretted

Smith rejected role as Django which later won an award PHOTO:Courtesy

Sean Connery turning down Matrix and Lord of the Rings

He was offered the roles of Morpheus in The Matrix and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. Sean Connery reportedly lost himself £283 million (Sh24.34bn) when he turned down the chance to play Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The former James Bond actor was offered £19m (Sh1.6bn) to play the wizard in the fantasy films directed by Peter Jackson and Warner Bros also offered him 15 per cent of the franchise’s box office takings.

With the roles eventually going to Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, it is reported that he (Connery) never understood both script materials. Currently worth $120 million (Sh10.3bn), he would have been the richest actor in the world if he had taken up an offer to play Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings series for 15 per cent of the box office takings, which would have earned him about $400m (Sh34.41bn).

Julia Roberts missed out on an Oscar

Hers was clearly a bad to worse case scenario when she turned down a legendary role in a film that won an Academy Award. In 2009, Julia Roberts turned down the lead role of Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side— a role that eventually went to Sandra Bullock, who received an Oscar for Best Actress.

That same year, Roberts appeared in Duplicity, which received mixed reviews and only got Roberts a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.

Will Smith as Django

Jamie Foxx seemed almost too perfect to play Django in Quentin Tarantino’s most recent work, Django Unchained.

However, it was disclosed that the part was actually written with Will Smith in mind. When time came to cast the film, Smith was immediately offered the part, but he turned it down because he claimed the filming schedule conflicted with Men In Black III.

He later revealed that the main reason he did not join the film was because “Django was not the lead (actor), so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!”

Steve McQueen double  misses

If there were a regret-o-metre, then Steve McQueen’s reading would be awfully high. He started by refusing the role of Sundance in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid because co-star Paul Newman refused to give him top billing and later declining the lead in The French Connection because he felt the part was too similar to the tough cop he’d played in 1968’s Bullitt, with Gene Hackman taking the part and winning an Oscar.

Michelle Pfeiffer’s conscious decision

Jodie Foster was iconic as Clarice in 1991’s Silence of the Lambs, but she wasn’t director Jonathan Demme’s ideal actress.

Reportedly, Demme wanted Michelle Pfeiffer to take on the part, but she turned it down due to the film’s high violence content.

John Travolta as Forrest Gump

The MTV-award actor and certified private pilot admitted that passing on Forrest Gump was a mistake.

The lead role in the 1994 comedy went to Tom Hanks, who won Best Actor at the Oscars, one of six the film won including Best Picture.

Kevin Costner in Shawshank Redemption

He was offered the part of the main character Andy Dufresne in the classic Stephen King’s multi award Shawshank Redemption film.

He wanted to work on Waterworld, a hugely expensive movie and an eventual flop. It is reported that Costner has strongly regretted letting Tim Robbins take the role.

Jack Nicholson’s not  the godfather

Jack Nicholson nails every role he casts, but he reportedly didn’t think that would be the case if he portrayed Michael Corleone in the classic The Godfather. Apparently, before Al Pacino was cast in the role, Nicholson was offered the part. He turned it down because, as he once said, “I knew The Godfather was going to be a great film, but at that time I believed Indians should play roles written for Indians and Italians should do the same.”

Kim Basinger didn’t cross her legs

Everyone pretty much remembers Basic Instinct and Sharon Stone for that totally-NSFW (Not Safe For Work) leg crossing scene, but pop culture history could have been a lot different had star Michael Douglas gotten his way. Reportedly, Douglas recommended Kim Basinger for the role of Catherine Tramell, but she declined, as did a whole lot of other actresses including Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer, Geena Davis, and Ellen Barkin. Eventually, the relatively unknown Stone was offered the part and it ended up launching her career.

Paul Rudd and The hangover

Before Bradley Cooper was considered as cast of the adventurous wolf pack in The Hangover, director Todd Phillips reportedly considered dozens of other actors for the roles. According to Phillips, before Cooper was cast as the immature high school teacher Phil in the film, Paul Rudd was offered the part, but he ultimately turned it down.