Have you ever been curious how your favourite characters looked like if other actors had played them? In this article we show you a list of famous actors who missed the cast of other big roles.
They were very close to obtain those roles, but the directors thought they were not exactly what they were looking for and they decided to give the role to different actors.
It is very hard to believe how would have been if the legendary characters that made history had been played by other popular actors. The fact is that they were close to get the role, but in the end it went to somebody else. Would you have enjoyed these movies if the main role had belonged to the following actors? Let’s imagine for a moment how the legendary characters had looked like if they had been played by the actors who represented the alternative choices.
Angelina Jolie – Velma Kelly
Velma Kelly in “Chicago” – Angelina Jolie wanted this role as much as Catherine Zeta-Jones and because of this they do not get along even after all these years. Angelina lost this role to Catherine, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress in this musical.
Kate Winslet – Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones in “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” – Kate Winslet was considered for this role, but the producers did not cast her because she was younger than the character and she did not look older than 30. So they cast Renée Zellweger instead.
Ryan Gosling – Joker
Joker in “Suicide Squad” – Even if Ryan Gosling wanted this part, the producers wanted him to play in the sequels as well and he did not want to agree to sign so much in advance, so in the last minute he changed his mind and he refused the role, which it went to Jared Leto.
Christopher Walken – Han Solo
Han Solo in the “Star Wars” – George Lucas, the director, had a different perspective about the character Han Solo. Initially, he thought Christopher Walken was a good choice, but at the very last moment he picked up Harrison Ford for this role and he made history with this character.
David Schwimmer – Agent J
Agent J in “Man in Black” – The producers thought David Schwimmer would be perfect for this role, and they offered it to him, but he declined it because he thought his older colleague on set had a more important role. Because he refused it, Will Smith wanted to accept it and we think it was great that happened this way, because his performance was wonderful.
Kristen Stewart – Diana
Diana in “Wonder Woman” – Who would have thought that Kristen Stewart was considered for the main role in “Wonder Woman”? Even though there were many actresses who would have enjoyed this role, Stewart turned it down and the role was received by Gal Gadot, who played it successfully and she became an idol of her generation.
David Bowie – Elrond
The elf lord Elrond in “The Lord of the Rings” – David Bowie wanted to play this character and he proposed this fact himself to the director, Peter Jackson, who considered that Bowie is more suitable to the role of Gandalf. However, in the end Bowie was very busy, he had a tight schedule and he did not managed to take part in the filming process. Hugo Weaving ended up playing Elrond and Ian McKellen received the role of Gandalf.
Dustin Hoffman – Rick Deckard
Rick Deckard in “Blade Runner” – Dustin Hoffman wanted this role so badly he fought The Ladd Company because their representatives did not want to collaborate with him due to his view of character. Hoffman wished to play Rick Deckard in a more grim and angry manner, which was the opposite of what the producers wanted. Although he was one step away from getting this role, it went to Harrison Ford instead, who became legendary for this character.
Tom Cruise – Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs in the eponym movie – Tom Cruise almost got this role. Half of the producers wanted to offer this role to Tom Cruise and the other half considered Michael Fassbender was a better option because of his age. In the end, Tom Cruise lost this role and Fassbender was a part of the cast.
Tobey Maguire – Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” – Tobey Maguire was one of the candidates for this role, but Peter Jackson, the director, made his choice and decided Martin Freeman was more suitable.
Samuel L. Jackson – Hugh Glass
Hugh Glass in “The Revenant” – Samuel L. Jackson was one of the candidates for this role when Park Chan-wook was considered as director, but when he left the production of the movie, the new director decided that Leonardo DiCaprio was a better choice, and indeed he was, because he received an Oscar for his performance.
Jeremy Renner – Mad Max
Mad Max in “Mad Max: Fury Road” – Jeremy Renner was considered to play this character and he represented a strong competition, but, in the end, Tom Hardy was the lucky one who got the role and he did a great job.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Jordan Belfort
Jordan Belfort in “The Wolf of Wall Street” – Joseph Gordon-Levitt expressed his desire to get this role, but the producers were not impressed by his performance at the audition. Instead, Leonardo DiCaprio’s act had more impact, so he got the role. Plus, during the filming process, DiCaprio met the real Jordan Belfort and the actor prepared himself better.
Lindsay Lohan – Alice
Alice in “Alice in Wonderland” – Lindsay Lohan was one of the candidates for this role, but unfortunately for her, Mia Wasikowska received it and signed the contract 4 months before the filming began. We believe it was for the best, because we cannot imagine how Lohan could have performed as Alice…
Would you have watched and liked those movies if their main characters had been played by these other popular actors? Do you think the ones who got the roles were better choices and you cannot imagine the other actors playing these characters? Feel free to share your opinion in the comment section.