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Ever thought of someone else other than Di Caprio playing Jack Dawson in Titanic. Well, turns out there were lots of people up for the role and equally many that turned it down. Leonardo Di Caprio almost turned down the role in auditioning, but Paul Rudd showed him better.
A character can take you to fame or ruin your career, so you have to think hard before taking it up. Although all went well for Leonardo, others regretted a decision to turn down a major role. Here is a look at ten iconic roles you won't believe people turned down.
TAMZIN MERCHANT: Daenerys (GAME OF THRONES)
Every actor in the world today would love to be Emilia Clarke after her role as Daenerys shot her to fame. Emilia Clarke, however, only got the role after another famous actor failed to show up for the reshoots after the original filming of Game Of Thrones in 2012.
In the original GOT set, which never aired, The Tudors Star, Tamzin Merchant, was the actual Queen of Dragons. David Benioff and Weiss were, however, forced to remake the episodes with Clarke after Tamzin failed to show up for reshoots. She later chose to audition for The Tudors instead.
KEVIN SPACEY: RAYMOND REDDINGTON (THE BLACKLIST)
The Blacklist's Concierge of Crime Raymond Reddington is one of the most interesting Villian roles in Cinema history. While James Spader seems to fit naturally into this post, he was never the favorite actor for the NBC show's producers.
Kevin Spacey was requested to play the role, but he turned it down and chose to play Francis Underwood in House of Cards. Raymond Reddington has now become the favorite criminal mastermind of the screens, but Spacey is not its image.
JOHN LITHGOW: The JOKER (Batman)
Lithgow has won the Emmys in his time in The Crown, but he has missed his chances at other legendary roles. Before missing his chance of being The Joker, Lithgow was the favorite to play twice in Joe Dante's Batman, although it never made it to production.
He was then selected to play The Joker, but he passed the chance saying he wasn't the best fit. Jack Nicholson beat him to it, making a whole $100 million in the process.
EMILY BLUNT: BLACK WIDOW (IRON MAN 2)
Yes, Scarlett Johansson would never have been the Black Widow had Emily Blunt decided to take on the skies. By the time it was to be filmed, Blunt was already contracted elsewhere. She claimed that the timing of the filming was not right.
Rumor had it that she had to pass on the role over pay disputes. Though Blunt had no regrets over turning down the role, she is open to taking roles as a heroine in the future. She, however, acknowledged that Scarlett Johansson nailed the role.
BURT REYNOLDS: JAMES BOND (James Bond)
Apart from having a long list of movies to his name, Reynolds had quite many rejected roles. His most notable rejection was when he turned down an offer for the starring role in Sean Connery’s James Bond. He had doubts over accepting the role claiming that the public would never accept an American 007.
He also had regrets declining the role of Han Solo in Star Wars, a role that was later played by Harrison Ford. He also turned down the main role in Pretty Woman alongside Julia Roberts, leaving the golden opportunity to Richard Gere.
JULIA ROBERTS: LEIGH ANNE (THE BLIND DATE)
Julia Roberts took a pass on the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Date, stating that the script simply didn’t catch her interest. The role was given to Sandra Bullock who also got another role of Julia Roberts in The Proposal.
Bullock seems to be getting quite lucky with Julia’s rejections until she even turned down a role in Million Dollar Baby, the role that later gave Hilary Swank her second Oscar award. The role-rejection game in Hollywood seems to be going round in circles.
ANGELLA BASSET: LETICIA (MONSTER'S BALL)
Who turns down an Oscar-winning role? It turns out, Angella Basset is just too proud to play another black prostitute on-screen, although she later regretted it. She turned down the role of Leticia in Monster's Ball because of the stereotypical portrayal of black women and sexuality.
She said she was not up playing the role of a prostitute in a film. Fortunately for Halle Berry, the role landed her an Oscar award. Basset couldn't stop slamming her for taking the role.
SEAN CONNERY: GANDALF (LORD OF THE RINGS)
Lord of the Rings with all the money and the awards that came with it is a Trilogy that many would love to be in. Sean Connery had the option of playing the wizard, Gandalf and getting a share of the $2.9 billion in profits. He, however, turned down the role claiming he didn`t understand the script. He still confessed that he didn't understand the role even after the production but said the benefits were adorable.
ANNE HATHAWAY: Alison Scott (KNOCKED UP)
Katherine Heigl rose to fame with this legendary role and the scandals that came with it years later, but she was never the favorite choice for the comedy. Anne Hathaway turned down the role of Alison Scott, forcing the producers to give it to Katherine Heigl, and she really killed it.
She cited problems with being expected to give birth on set, considering she had not experienced childbirth yet. I guess she got nervous about not perfecting the scene.
LILY ALLEN: YARA GREYJOY (GAME OF THRONES)
The original favorites to play the Greyjoy siblings were Alfie Allen, who played Theon Greyjoy, and his sister Lily Allen who passed on the role. Yara and Theon Greyjoy are the two Greyjoys that lasted in all the seasons of Game of Thrones displaying the best show of the power of family.
Theon Greyjoy was, however, the black sheep of the family earlier on in the show and even made advances on his sister before he knew her true identity. Lily Allen was rather uncomfortable with her own brother touching her that way, so she chose to pass on the role.
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