What Could Have Been
Some of the most iconic characters in Hollywood were almost played by other actors. What do you think of these casting choices?
Rose Dawson, Titanic: Claire Danes
As a guest on the Armchair Expert podcast, Claire Danes revealed that she had been seriously considered for the role of Rose in Titanic. At the time, she'd recently finished Romeo + Juliet, playing opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.
She said, "But honestly, I'd just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic, and I just didn't have it in me."
Forrest, Forrest Gump: John Travolta
Reportedly, John Travolta has said that he made a mistake in turning down the lead role in Forrest Gump. However, it wasn't a completely tragic decision.
The very same year, Travolta took on Pulp Fiction—and in the end, both he and Hanks ended up nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. However, it was Tom Hanks that came out on top.
Rogue, X-Men: Rachael Leigh Cook
Though the role of Rogue in the X-Men series eventually went to Anna Paquin, it was first offered to Rachael Leigh Cook. However, the actress turned it down because she didn't like the idea of acting on a green screen.
She later confessed, "As soon as I saw the posters for it, I knew that I'd made a mistake."
Sebastian, La La Land: Miles Teller
Miles Teller was so close to landing the lead role in La La Land that he almost dropped out of War Dogs just so he could do the film. However, his hopes got crushed.
Teller later shared, "I got a call from my agent, saying, 'Hey, I just got a call from Lionsgate. Damien told them that he no longer thinks you're creatively right for the project. He's moving on without you."
Noah Calhoun, The Notebook: George Clooney and Paul Newman
Ryan Gosling and James Garner were the perfect choices to play Noah Calhoun in The Notebook. However, two other huge names almost took the parts: George Clooney and Paul Newman. But it wasn't meant to be.
Clooney later shared, "He's one of the handsomest guys you've ever seen. We met up [again] and I said, 'I can't play you. I don't look anything like you. This is insane. We just wanted to do it because we wanted to work together, [but] it ended up being not the right thing for us to do."
Anna Scott, Notting Hill: Nicole Kidman
Though Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant worked together on The Undoing, Kidman has confessed that there was one role she missed out on that she truly wanted—Notting Hill.
In an interview, the actress admitted, "...I really wanted the role that Julia Roberts played in Notting Hill." She continued, "But I wasn't well known enough, and I wasn't talented enough."
Aragorn, Lord of the Ring: Russell Crowe
It's hard to imagine Aragorn being played by anyone other than Viggo Mortensen, but the role was first offered to Russell Crowe.
On The Howard Stern Show, the actor explained why he turned down such a massive opportunity: "I didn't think Peter Jackson actually wanted me on the film. I think he was forced into talking to me, because there was a moment in time when everybody wanted me in everything ... my instinct was that he had somebody else in mind ... and he should be able to hire the actor that he wants."
Anastasia Steele, Fifty Shades of Grey: Emilia Clarke
Would Emilia Clarke have made a better Anastasia Steele than Dakota Johnson? We'll never know. The Game of Thrones actress turned down the role because she was already "sick and tired" of the questions surrounding the scenes she's done without her clothes on: "...it is the only question that I ever get asked because I am a woman."
Sam, Love Actually: Joe Alwyn
Back in the early 2000s, Joe Alwyn was young enough to audition for the role of Sam in Love Actually.
Reminiscing about the experience, he later shared, "I didn't get it in the end, but I do remember meeting Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis and sitting around reading some stuff." Instead, the role went to Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
Han Solo, Star Wars: Al Pacino
Can you imagine the character of Han Solo being played by anyone other than Harrison Ford? Not me. But apparently, there were many other actors that could have taken the part, including Al Pacino.
Thankfully, the script just didn't click with Pacino: "It was mine for the taking. But I didn't understand the script." Some of the other actors considered for the role included Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, and Chevy Chase.
Ludmila Joaquina Valentina Buyo, Flickr
The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Titanic: Reba McEntire
Kathy Bates ended up playing Molly Brown in Titanic, but the role first went to the country music star, Reba McEntire. Unfortunately for the singer, she had to walk away from the project due to scheduling conflicts.
In a conversation with Andy Cohen, she shared, "We were on tour and I had a lot of people on the payroll and we had these three months to do the movie. And then they got behind on scheduling and said, 'No, we're going to have to move it in this time.' So we couldn't reschedule all the arenas and everything."
Dan Humphrey, Gossip Girl: Alden Ehrenreich
Long after Gossip Girl aired in the 2000s, the casting director David Rapaport confessed that the first choice for the character of Dan Humphrey was actually Alden Ehrenreich: "Before Penn was involved, I desperately wanted Alden Ehrenreich to play Dan." So, what went wrong?
Well, turns out, Blake Lively was too tall a match for Ehrenreich, so the part went to Penn Badgley instead.
ick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Elle Woods, Legally Blonde: Christina Applegate
Resse Witherspoon is downright iconic as Elle Woods in 2001's Legally Blonde, however the part could have gone to another famous blonde—Christina Applegate.
Apparently, the actress was worried about being typecast as a "dumb blonde": "I got scared of kind of repeating myself. What a stupid move that was, right?"
Still, Applegate believes that the role went to the right person: "Reese deserved that. She did a much better job than I ever could, and so that's her life. That's her path."
Michael Corleone, The Godfather: Jack Nicholson
The Godfather is considered one of the best films of all time, and Al Pacino's performance as Michael Corleone is masterful. However, Jack Nicholson could have easily taken the part.
According to the actor, he turned down the role for a pretty selfless reason: "Back then I believed that Indians should play Indians and Italians should play Italians. There were a lot of actors who could have played Michael, myself included, but Al Pacino was Michael Corleone."
Ferris, Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Johnny Depp
John Hughes's first choice for the role of Ferris in Ferris Bueller's Day Off was not Matthew Broderick, but rather Johnny Depp.
However, due to scheduling conflicts, Depp wasn't available for the project. The actor later spoke about Broderick's performance, saying that the actor did a "great job."
Tiffany, Silver Linings Playbook: Anne Hathaway
Though Jennifer Lawrence may have snagged a Best Actress Oscar for 2012's Silver Linings Playbook, the role could have been played by Anne Hathaway, who was actually the first choice.
However, Hathaway and the director had "creative differences" and she ultimately chose to pass it up. This may have been the right move though, as the same year Hathaway won an Academy Award for her role in Les Misérables.
Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV, Flickr
Vivian, Pretty Woman: Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald—the sweetheart of the 80s—was given the early script for Pretty Woman, originally called $3,000.
She later said, "I don't specifically remember turning it down. The script was okay but I gotta say, Julia Roberts is what makes that movie. It was her part. Every actor hopes for a part that lets them shine like that."
WBUR Boston's NPR News Station, Flickr
Maggie, Million Dollar Baby: Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock really wanted to play Maggie in Million Dollar Baby, but it was difficult to get the project rolling. Bullock said, "I couldn't get it made. We tried and tried and tried."
However, when filming finally got underway, Bullock was already committed to Miss Congeniality 2. The actress conceded, "When things like that happen, that's the way they are supposed to be."
Jack Dawson, Titanic: Matthew McConaughey
If Matthew McConaughey has one role that got away, it was the role of Jack from Titanic. The actor has since admitted, "I wanted that. I auditioned with Kate Winslet. Walked away from there pretty confident that I had it. I didn't get it. I never got offered that."
Of course, the role went to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Moody College of Communication, Flickr
Edward Cullen, Twilight: Henry Cavill
In 2008, Robert Pattinson rose to heartthrob status with his role as Edward Cullen in Twilight, but reportedly, the author of the series, Stephenie Meyer, had another actor in mind: Henry Cavill.
On The Graham Norton Show, Cavill shared, "I think the writer of the books, when the movie came around, I think I was her first choice. That's the rumor I heard. And she wanted me to play the role, but it wasn't up to her. And instead, a very talented actor played him instead."
Roxie Hart, Chicago: Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron really likes the movie Chicago and still thinks about the fact that she almost got to play Roxie Hart.
She later told Howard Stern, "I've definitely wanted stuff that I didn't get. For awhile I was attached to Chicago. I really wanted that—I was a dancer for most of my life, and there was a real nostalgia—the idea of making that movie for me. I got kicked off it. The directed kicked me off it. I was really bummed about it."
Russell Hammond, Almost Famous: Brad Pitt
Though Billy Crudup played the role of Russell Hammond in Almost Famous, the writer-director Cameron Crowe created the character with Brad Pitt in mind. In fact, Pitt was already on board for film. He'd already acted in a couple of scenes.
Unfortunately, there were creative differences—and as a result, Pitt left the project.
Joey Potter, Dawson's Creek: Selma Blair
The creator of Dawson's Creek, Kevin Williamson, had originally landed on Selma Blair to play the lead character Joey Potter. However, he received a last-minute audition tape that changed his mind.
He said, "I really loved Selma until, of course, I got the infamous videotape from the basement of the Holmes family in Toledo, Ohio. And when that video showed up, it changed my whole life."
Elton John, Rocketman: Justin Timberlake
Taron Egerton was undoubtedly the perfect actor for the role of Elton John in Rocketman—but Justin Timberlake was a possible candidate. Back in 2001, Timberlake had actually played John in the music video for "This Train Don't Stop Anymore"—and he caught the eye of the Rocketman producer David Furnish.
Furnish later explained, "We never formally approached Justin because we weren't ever at a stage where it was the right time to approach him. But he did an amazing job in the video. He put on a prosthetic nose, and it turned out to have been some really interesting acting as well."
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