Face Value: 15 Actors Who Missed Out on Big Roles

So many great roles invariably have alternative outcome stories attached to them. While some roles are universal, allowing different actors to fill them over a long period (James Bond, for instance), others require that special something only individual actors have. Such is the power of the star system; the mere thought of iconic roles with different faces haunts us.

1. Jack Nicholson (The Godfather)

As great an actor as Jack Nicholson is, and as much as I love him, the Godfather would not have worked with him as Michael Corleone. The legendary actor’s Irish, English, and Welsh ancestry was far too obvious. IMDb claims Nicholson had a firm belief that Italians should play Italians. We can be thankful he turned it down; nobody wants to imagine a Michael Corleone who isn’t Al Pacino.

2. Clare Danes (Titanic)

We would have forgiven Clare Danes and James Cameron had they teamed up for Titanic. Given Danes’ amazing chemistry with Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet a year earlier, it might have worked. However, Danes explained in Vanity Fair in 2020 that she had “no regrets” about the movie. Instead, she gave Kate Winslet her turn with Hollywood’s mid-nineties golden child DiCaprio.

3. Sean Connery (Lord of the Rings)

When Sean Connery was given Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring script, he didn’t understand the role and turned it down. While we must appreciate Connery’s net worth was already sizable, he was offered an alleged $10 million for each installment, with a 15% cut of the box office receipts. The good news is that Sir Ian McKellen was magnificent — though sadly, we never got to see James Bond shouting, “You shall not paaaash!”

4. Nicole Kidman (Notting Hill)

Nicole Kidman as Anna Scott is an imaginable scenario, though the Australian actress didn’t get her confessed “dream role.” She confirmed in a 2020 Marie Claire interview that she “wasn’t well-known enough…and I wasn’t talented enough. On a personal note, I recall a work colleague who bought his Notting Hill terrace in the early ‘80s, boasting how his property value had rocketed to more than three times its original price since Notting Hill’s success. My London confirms that average house prices 20 years after the Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts smash hit went from an average of £311,563 to a huge £1,574,918.

5. Will Smith (The Matrix)

Had someone suggested Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix before knowing Keanu would get the role, I would have nodded in agreement. He would have fitted the role seamlessly alongside that cast, though it is a moot point. Keanu slayed the role, and the rest is history; meanwhile, Smith had a good run, too — we can call this one cosmically settled.

6. Russell Crowe (Lord of the Rings)

Like his Scottish contemporary Sean Connery, Russell Crowe was in talks with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson about playing Aragorn. Crowe explained in a Howard Stern Show episode how he turned down Jackson’s advances — including a 10% kickback on the gross revenue. Stern worked out that Crowe lost out on $100 million in earnings with his decision; the role, of course, went to the brilliant Viggo Mortensen.

7. Michelle Pfeiffer (Silence of the Lambs)

Come on, now. The vision of Michelle Pfeiffer playing Clarice Starling in Jodie Foster’s Oscar-winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs is near impossible. Who else was going to deliver that Southern-tinged “Doctor Lecter” with such understated brilliance? Of course, Michelle Pfeiffer was outstanding in almost everything she did, too, and who knows whether she could have equaled Foster? Let’s face it; there is no bettering her here.

8. Mel Gibson (Gladiator)

Russell Crowe was born to play Gladiator’s Maximus — he stole the show in Ridley Scott’s swords-and-sandals epic, winning an Oscar. However, a fellow Aussie had already said “No” when approached by the director. Mel Gibson was concerned that, in his mid-forties, he might be too old to play such a swashbuckling role. We know the award-winning movie’s fate, while Gibson missed out on a life-affirming character. However, would the movie have been so successful without Crowe?

9. Emilia Clarke (Fifty Shades of Grey)

The Game of Thrones heartthrob dazzled HBO viewers over eight (seven) glorious seasons as Daenerys Targaryen. Several years after the show’s debut, her movie career began with some small films before a breakout role in 2015’s Terminator: Genisys. The same year, Clarke turned down the chance to be Anastasia Steele in the movie adaptation of the best-seller novel Fifty Shades of Grey. In a later episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Drama Actress Roundtable, Clarke revealed she didn’t want to be typecast for nudity, so she declined the offer.

10. Justin Timberlake (Rocketman)

Justin Timberlake is a household name for many; his rise to global stardom following his NSYNC departure and subsequent solo career was spectacular. Since he transitioned to acting, Timberlake has shied from the limelight, and his acting career has blossomed in the meantime. He didn’t turn the role of Elton John down. However, Rocketman producer (and John’s longtime husband) David Furnish was impressed with an earlier Timberlake Elton John impersonation, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It can be hard picturing actors in certain roles — this is how some may feel when picturing J.T. as Elton John. If you disagree, you can “Cry Me a River.”

11. Amy Schumer (Barbie)

Yes, you read that right: Amy Schumer was lined up to play Barbie, revealing how she dropped out of the film on a Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen interview. When host Andy Cohen cited “creative differences,” Schumer countered, joking that they “fired her” for being “too thin” before confirming Cohen’s suspicions. Schumer’s loss was Margot Robbie’s gain — as of January 2024, CNBC claims the film has smashed the $1 billion mark in domestic sales alone.

12. George Clooney (The Notebook)

Gorgeous George would have been a good choice for The Notebook in theory, though in truth, can anyone not see Ryan Gosling as Noah? We have Paul Newman, who was originally earmarked to play Old Noah, to thank for this reality. Deadline reports how Clooney was speaking about the event at the 64th British Film Institute (BFI) London screen talk. Clooney backed out of the romantic drama after realizing he and Paul Newman looked nothing alike, which would have required too much suspension of disbelief for his liking.

13. Emily Blunt (Black Widow)

If Black Widow fans had been polled on a match-up between Scarlett Johansson and Emily Blunt to play their heroine, I wonder how it would have gone? On an installment of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Blunt conceded she turned the role down, saying, “Come on, the best girl got it.” Let’s be fair to Ms. Blunt — she nailed some monumental action roles throughout her career, too. We can call this one a draw.

14. Al Pacino (Star Wars)

Al Pacino was a big deal in the ‘70s after his rise to prominence as Michael Corleone in the Godfather franchise, so much so that Lucasfilm wanted him for Han Solo. One has to fit the face in the costume, and this one just makes me laugh. Pacino told MTV in 2014 how being in The Godfather brought subsequent offers from everywhere. With Pacino as Solo, “Say hello to my big friend!” might have been his line when unleashing a can of Wookie on his enemy.

15. Sandra Bullock (Million Dollar Baby)

Million Dollar Baby was Hillary Swank’s breakthrough, life-affirming role after a long career, and it became a part many will associate her with forever. Sandra Bullock as a professional boxer, though? Maybe, though it is hard to imagine Bullock in a fight movie without cracking a smile — she will always be Miss Congeniality to me.

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