Comments on: Hollywood Miscalculations: 5 Famous Actors and the Roles They Turned Down

By: Bellatrix Orionis

Bellatrix Orionis — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:44:08 +0000

My fave never-was is Tom Cruise turning down the lead role in “Philadelphia”, which won Tom Hanks an Oscar. He wasn’t comfortable playing a gay man. Too funny.

By: beauessai

beauessai — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:44:27 +0000

This article neglects another important loss for Steve McQueen, and, as far as I’m concerned, for movie fans everywhere. He was offered the lead in “Close Encounters of a Third Kind,” but turned it down. It went, sadly, to Richard Dreyfuss.

For anyone who can imagine what McQueen would have looked like with those eyes while looking up into that spaceship at the end…totally different movie. Every scene, every stare, completely different. His casting also made a lot more sense opposite Truffaut.

As far as I’m concerned, one of cinema’s great losses. Dreyfuss was completely and totally wrong for it.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:38:43 +0000

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Shu Qi turned down the role of Jen. The role was given to Zhang Zhiyi, who wasnt well known at that time. Shu Qi instead accepted to do a coke commercial.

By: jumanji

jumanji — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:03:07 +0000

Just to add to the Willard role Sheen didn’t land it. He replaced Harvey Keitel who was fired after two weeks.

By: D

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:53:14 +0000

I’m glad Brad Pitt left The Fountain!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:41:25 +0000

Yes, the Steve McQueen roles are in Sean Connery’s last paragraph. The formatting is off as a result, so it is a bit confusing!

Good stuff, including other ones in comments.

By: ricochet

ricochet — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:49:55 +0000

Michael Madsen with “booze problem and crappy attitude”? You sure you’re not thinking of Tom Sizemore? I’ve never heard anything negative about Madsen before.

By: Bert

Bert — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:19:10 +0000

I’ve actually heard that Tarantino is thinking of doing a prequel to both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction starring the Vega Brothers (it would have to be a prequel for obvious reasons).

By: GTT

GTT — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:51:00 +0000

Will Smith would definately NOT have worked as Neo! You can almost picture him joking as he´s fighting the Agents.

And much as I LOVE Sean Connery, I dont know if he would have been a good Gandalf. Ian McKellan was born to play that role.

By: 321ronnie123

321ronnie123 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:32:40 +0000

I like reading these. Didn’t know the Bond or Pulp Fiction ones. Both were good as is but could definitely see them equally as good if the original actors accepted.