In the early Nineties, Michelle Pfeiffer reportedly turned down a long list of massive roles, from Thelma & Louise and Pretty Woman to Basic Instinct and Sleepless in Seattle.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Christina Applegate admitted to reporter Jessica Shaw that she regrets turning down the chance to play Elle Woods in the now-iconic 2001 romantic comedy "Legally Blonde."
Se7en is one of actor Brad Pitt's standout movies. His role as David Mills instantly comes to mind when discussing the superstar. It is also a role that weighs heavy on the mind of Denzel Washington, who was offered the role of David Mills and turned it down to pursue other opportunities.
Why We Turned Down Silence Of The Lambs | Michelle Pfeiffer & Meg Ryan
Who auditioned for Clarice Starling?
The final four was whittled down to Moore, Jolie, Blanchett, and Swank. All four actresses are said to have discussed the role with Ridley Scott, but it was eventually decided that Swank, then in her mid-20s, was too young for the part.
11. Mel Gibson — Maximus in Gladiator. The director, Ridley Scott, wanted Gibson to play Maximus, but Gibson turned down the role of the Roman gladiator because he believed that he was too old for it. The part eventually went to Russell Crowe who won the Oscar for Best Actor thanks to his brilliant performance.
Asked in 2012 if there were roles he turned down that he should have taken, Washington answered quickly: “Se7en and Michael Clayton”. The Oscar winner said that Tony Gilroy's corporate thriller Michael Clayton “was the best material I had read in a long time …
Matt Damon's decision to turn down James Cameron's 2009 space epic 'Avatar' has always been one of the biggest questions in Hollywood. Damon turned down the film despite an offer that included receiving 10% of the box office back end, which would've meant a $250 million payday for him.
Or if I didn't do something Richard Gere did, I did something equally well. But I feel good about some I gave up because other careers were created," he said. Travolta reportedly turned down the "Forrest Gump" offer to star in Quentin Tarantino's iconic "Pulp Fiction."
Before Elizabeth Berkley was cast as Nomi Malone, a long list of actresses were considered for the role, including Pamela Anderson, Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Vanessa Marcil, Jenny McCarthy, Denise Richards, and Charlize Theron.
She eventually signed a recording contract with Casablanca/Universal Records and has two albums under her belt. Turned down starring roles in The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Lords of Dogtown (2005), Poseidon (2006) and Veronika Decides to Die (2009).
This week Gary Oldman revealed that he turned down Edward Scissorhands after reading a few pages of the script before Johnny Depp went on to make the role one of the most iconic of all time. That got us wondering about all the other major movie roles that were turned down for one reason or another.
Who turned down the role of Bubba in Forrest Gump?
Only Forrest Gump would win. 13. David Alan Grier, Ice Cube and Dave Chappelle all turned down the role of Bubba. Ice Cube refused to play what he thought was an "idiot," while Chappelle simply thought the movie would fail.
Brad Pitt was first approached to play Jason Bourne. In 2000, Brad Pitt was enticed by the idea of playing Jason Bourne. The actor and the studio mutually liked the idea of a franchise spawning, if the first film garnered enough success. Ultimately, Pitt's packed schedule forced the actor to reject the role.
The deal was completed in February 2013. Kolstad began rewrites alongside Iwanyk and producer Erica Lee over two months. Iwanyk originally envisioned older actors such as Eastwood (then 83-years-old) or Harrison Ford (71-years-old) as John but later opted for an experienced actor rather than an elderly one.
His mother is English, originating from Essex. His American father is from Hawaii, and is of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, Irish, and Portuguese descent.
It transpires that Berry was invited to read for Speed, but she rejected it. When appearing in an April 1995 edition of Movieline, Berry revealed her reasons for turning down the film and explained that the lack of dialogue in the script was one of the main factors that influenced her decision.
“The Silence of the Lambs” immortalized one of the most terrifying villains in cinematic history–Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Both a talented psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, the majority of Lecter's personality traits and behaviors can be categorized as evidence of ASPD.
Clarice M. Starling is a fictional character and protagonist of the novels The Silence of the Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999) by Thomas Harris. In the 1991 film adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs, she was played by Jodie Foster, while in the 2001 film adaptation of Hannibal, she was played by Julianne Moore.
Director Jonathan Demme decided not to come back, and neither did two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster. For Foster, it certainly wasn't money that kept her away, as her salary would've been a reported $15 million. Her issues were with the material, though she had another out to couch her criticisms in.
