Top 10 Actors Who Refused a Role for Surprising Reasons

“Boogie Nights” (1997)

Before Burt Reynolds was cast in the role of Jack Horner in “Boogie Nights”, director Paul Thomas Anderson had wanted Warren Beatty for the part. He sent him the script and it seemed like he was interested in doing it. Except, a couple weeks into their discussion, PTA realized that Beatty thought he was being asked to play the role of late teen Dirk Diggler in the film– the role that eventually went to Mark Wahlberg. Anderson quickly cleared up the miscommunication, explained that the 60-year-old was too old for the Diggler role, and asked him to play Horner. Beatty was no longer interested.

“Donnie Darko” (2001)

If you’ve seen “Donnie Darko,” you know it’s a pretty strange film– with falling jet engines and a mysterious stranger in a rabbit costume. While writer and director Richard Kelly was obviously open to taking the film down some wonderfully different paths, giving the main character a lisp wasn’t one of them. And although Jake Gyllenhaal, the guy who played Donnie in the film, was obviously okay with that, Mark Wahlberg was not. You see, Wahlberg was one of the actors Kelly approached to play the title character. But Wahlberg– for some reason– felt strongly that he wanted to play Darko with a lisp. And as we all know, he didn’t end up playing the part.

“The Matrix Reloaded” (2003)

There are few martial artists as good as Jet Li. So it’s no wonder the Wachowskis wanted him for the role of Seraph in “The Matrix Reloaded” –the third film in the franchise. However, it was also because of Li’s own impressive skills that he turned it down. The role was going to require more than just performing for the camera. Production wanted Li for 9 months. 6 of those months would involve working with a digital capture team to record and copy his moves – which they would own the rights to. Li couldn’t accept that, so he passed.

“Edward Scissorhands” (1990)

Although he wasn’t Tim Burton’s first choice for the part, the studio insisted that he meet with Tom Cruise for the titular role in his 1990 film, “Edward Scissorhands”. Given that Cruise had the studio behind him, had he wanted it, there’s a good chance the role would’ve been his. But he had too many questions– questions that couldn’t be answered. Like, how did Edward use the restroom? Or, how did he stay alive for so long without eating? Yes, these are legit questions– but not for this character. In an interview, screenwriter Caroline Thompson stated that not answering those kinds of questions was “part of the delicacy of the story.”

“GoldenEye” (1995)

Liam Neeson married Natasha Richardson in 1994. But perhaps that wouldn't have happened had he accepted the role of James Bond in “GoldenEye”. To replace Timothy Dalton in the next Bond film, the producers asked a number of actors if they’d be interested in playing 007 before signing on the dotted line with Pierce Brosnan. One of those actors was Liam Neeson. However, Neeson was engaged to Richardson at the time, and she basically gave him an ultimatum: Become the next James Bond, or marry me. Neeson claimed in an interview with Rolling Stone that Richardson meant it! So, he chose her– and they had 15 years together before her sad passing in 2009. Love over Bond. We think he made the right choice.

“Misery” (1990)

The scene in the 1990 film “Misery” when Annie breaks both of Paul Sheldon’s ankles with a sledgehammer is one of the most memorable scenes from the film and from ‘90s cinema in general. However, it’s also quite visceral and difficult to watch. And for Bette Midler, it was reportedly even hard to read. Partly due to the violent nature of that particular scene, Midler didn’t take the role of Annie Wilkes. It was a decision that she later expressed regret about in a New York Times interview. In a more recent interview with Variety, though, Midler explained that she didn’t want any part of such a cruel character with a lack of redeeming qualities.

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977)

Richard Dreyfuss was great in the lead role of Roy Neary in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 classic, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. But he wasn’t the director’s first choice. That honor went to the great Steve McQueen. The role would’ve been his had he wanted it. McQueen really liked the script, but: it had an emotional crying scene. He told Spielberg he wouldn’t be the right fit to properly embody the character because he “[doesn’t] do that.” Though many media outlets incorrectly reported McQueen said he couldn’t cry on cue, Spielberg would correct that in a 2024 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival interview. He clarified that McQueen said he wasn’t interested in breaking down crying on-camera, not that he couldn’t do it at all.

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988)

There were few, if any, bigger comedy stars than Eddie Murphy in the ‘80s. From stand-up to “Saturday Night Live” to the movies, Murphy was a hit machine. But he just didn’t understand “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Or, more accurately, he didn’t get the vision of how live action and animation could work together. So, when the film makers came calling– including executive producer Steven Spielberg– Murphy turned them down. He later expressed regret about that decision, admitting on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that he felt like an “idiot” every time he saw the film.

“The Godfather” (1972)

Why does it matter that Jack Nicholson isn’t Italian-American? Because that was the reason he turned down the role of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather”. In a 2004 interview, Nicholson expressed his belief that just as “Indians should play Indians, Italians should play Italians.” You’d think that he would regret missing out on this iconic character in one of the greatest movies ever made. But even decades later, Nicholson seemed quite at peace with his decision. “Al Pacino was Michael Corleone” he said, and added that he couldn’t “think of a better compliment to pay him.”

“X-Men” (2000)

It’s almost impossible to picture anyone else in the role of Wolverine, as Hugh Jackman has defined the film character for over 20 years now. However, the truth is that Russell Crowe was director Bryan Singer’s first choice to play the dark superhero for the first “X-Men” movie that came out in 2000. But Crowe had just come off of “Gladiator”, in which his character has a pet wolf; and he didn’t want to become typecast as a guy who could only do movies “that have something to do with wolves.” So, he turned it down and recommended his Aussie countryman Jackman.