20 Actors Who Left A Movie For SHOCKING Reasons

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most outrageous incidents of an actor exiting a film production, for whatever reason. Which acting castings that NEARLY happened do you wish did? Cillian Murphy as Batman? Brad Pitt as Jason Bourne? Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone in “Face/Off”? Or something else? Let us know below!

#20: Terrence Howard

“Iron Man 2” (2010)

The film that launched the epic Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2008’s “Iron Man” was a smash hit with fans. With Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role of Tony Stark, his BFF James Rhodes was played by Terrence Howard, who was reportedly the movie’s highest-paid actor. But before Howard could fulfill his on-screen promise of wearing the War Machine armor, he was dropped in favor of Don Cheadle for the 2010 sequel. According to reports, the filmmakers were disappointed by Howard’s performance and his difficult behavior on set. He was offered a reduced role with up to an 80 percent wage decrease for the sequel. Howard turned it down, believing his money ended up covering some of Downey’s increased payday.

#19: Armie Hammer

“Shotgun Wedding” (2022)

At one point, Hammer looked like the next breakout A-Lister in Hollywood, with several critically acclaimed films in his credits. In 2020, he was cast in 2022’s “Shotgun Wedding” alongside Jennifer Lopez. Then, in 2021, Hammer’s career came crashing down with allegations of abusive behavior and assaults to partners, as well as his desire to partake in consuming humans. Yikes. Immediately, many film productions distanced themselves from him. Hammer dropped out of “Shotgun Wedding,” stating he couldn’t leave his family during this scandal to spend four months in the Dominican Republic. The role of Tom Fowler was then given to Josh Duhamel, who emailed Hammer to offer his support.

#18: Charlie Hunnam

“Fifty Shades of Grey” (2015)

Not long after the “Fifty Shades of Grey” novel was released, loads of celebs were seen with the book. Unsurprisingly, with that publicity, a film was a foregone conclusion. In 2013, it was announced the two main roles would be played by Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam. However, a month later, he dropped out, and the part was given to Jamie Dornan. The reason for the change was originally believed to be a scheduling issue. In a sense that was true, but in 2014, Hunnam explained it further. He said his work schedule was so packed due to balancing “Sons of Anarchy” alongside shooting “Crimson Peak,” that he experienced a nervous breakdown when considering adding “Fifty Shades” and had to withdraw.

#17: Billy Idol

“The Doors” (1991) & “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)

After establishing himself in the music world, Idol was going to branch out with two massive film roles. However, in 1990, he crashed his motorbike, sustaining a severely broken leg and arm. Idol was in surgery for 7 hours to repair the damage. Though he recovered, the musician could no longer play the film roles he signed up for. Idol stated he was meant to play Tom Baker in “The Doors.” However, Michael Madsen was handed the role, while Idol was given the vastly reduced part of Cat. For “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” he was going to be the T-1000. Since Idol could barely walk, let alone chase after Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick was magnificently cast instead.

#16: Will Smith

“The Matrix” (1999)

In an alternate reality, this is an Earth where Keanu Reeves didn’t wear Neo’s black trench coat for 1999’s “The Matrix” but “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star did. As explained by the actor on his YouTube channel, Smith met with the Wachowskis, who pitched the part to him. The Wachowskis focused their pitch on the action sequences, where Neo freezes in mid-air, instead of the story or character development. Because of this approach, the actor didn’t really understand what “The Matrix” was. In addition, the siblings were still relatively new as directors of feature films. After consideration, he rejected “The Matrix” and took on “Wild Wild West” instead, a decision he may have regretted.

#15: Megan Fox

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011)

Filmmaker Michael Bay and Fox have a long, turbulent relationship, which includes her leading role in the “Transformers” franchise. Initially, all seemed well, even if Bay couldn’t stop his male gaze whenever Fox was on screen. However, in 2009, Fox gave an interview discussing the difficulty of working on set for the director and compared him to Adolf Hitler. As such, she was effectively replaced with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for the third installment, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” As for what happened, it depends on who you ask. Fox claimed she left, while Bay stated producer Steven Spielberg told him to replace her, which Spielberg denied. Mysterious.

#14: Will Ferrell

“Reagan” (Canceled)

A movie about a nation’s leader struggling to cope with a degenerative disease sounds like a piece that could be discussed and celebrated in film classes. However, what if, instead of being a gritty drama, it was played as a comedy? Well, that was the plan for the film “Reagan” when news broke about it in 2016. It would focus on Ronald Reagan, played by Will Ferrell, suffering from dementia during his second term as US President. Upon announcement of the project, the Reagan family expressed its outrage, as did some associates of Reagan and some members of the media. Two days after Ferrell’s casting announcement, he pulled out of the project, and it vanished into obscurity.

#13: Harvey Keitel

“Apocalypse Now” (1979)

Considering the amount of setbacks and damage to the crew and cast’s physical and mental health, it’s amazing that “Apocalypse Now” was finished, let alone became such an acclaimed film. Before Martin Sheen donned the war paint of Captain Willard, Harvey Keitel was handed the role and given a seven-year contract. Yet days into filming, director Francis Coppola was unhappy with Keitel’s portrayal, as he reportedly found him too intense. Coppola offered Sheen the role and when he accepted, Keitel was out. However, the actor wasn’t removed from the final cut completely, according to editor Walter Murch. During one of the scenes showing a boat turning in the water, Keitel can be seen on the vessel.

#12: Shia LaBeouf

“Don’t Worry Darling” (2022)

Few recent films have had reports of a director clashing with their main cast as 2022’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” Olivia Wilde directed as well as starred and produced the film, and as director she allegedly had a few conflicts with Florence Pugh. She also had to contend with Shia LaBeouf, who eventually left the production. The cause was originally claimed to be a scheduling conflict, but then things got confusing. Wilde later stated that LaBeouf's “combative energy” with fellow actors and crew, along with the fact that he made Pugh “uncomfortable,” caused her to fire him. However, he responded that he quit due to lack of rehearsal. LaBeouf later showed apparent messages from Wilde that begged him to return, which the director denied.

#11: Eric Stoltz

“Back to the Future” (1985)

Today, it’s impossible to imagine anyone other than Michael J. Fox wearing the iconic red body warmer of Marty McFly in 1985’s “Back to the Future.” Yet, that nearly happened. Eric Stoltz was cast as McFly, but several weeks into filming, director Robert Zemeckis saw a problem. Reportedly, the actor was too intense and wasn’t capturing the comedic tone that was needed. Stoltz also implemented a method acting technique, allegedly bruising Biff actor Thomas F. Wilson in a scene. The filmmakers approached Fox, who agreed to take the role. When Fox became available, Zemeckis informed Stoltz of his firing. This casting change caused 34 days of filming to be torn up. Yet Fox captured the comedy essence and saved the franchise.

#10: James Remar

“Aliens” (1986)

James Remar, best known for his portrayal of Ajax in the cult classic “The Warriors” and for playing Dexter’s father Harry Morgan on “Dexter,” was director James Cameron’s first choice to play Corporal Dwayne Hicks in the sequel to 1979’s “Alien.” However, a couple of weeks into production he was replaced by Michael Biehn. For years the reason for the change was chalked up to “creative differences,” but the truth turned out to be much more shocking. Remar was dealing with a fairly serious drug problem when he was cast as Hicks, and was ultimately fired from the picture after being arrested for drug possession; although some shots of him remain in the film.

#9: Ed Skrein

“Hellboy” (2019)

In the wake of whitewashing complaints, actor Ed Skrein, who you’ll recognize as the baddie from 2016’s “Deadpool,” dropped out of the planned 2019 “Hellboy” reboot. Whitewashing is the infamous Hollywood practice that involves the casting of white actors in the roles of historically non-white characters. Skrein had been cast as Ben Daimio, who the graphic novel the film is based on describes as being of Japanese-American descent. Skrein’s decision to leave the film was widely praised, and his replacement, Korean-American actor Daniel Dae Kim, lauded him for the move.

#8: Ryan Gosling

“The Lovely Bones” (2009)

In yet another instance of an actor being fired only to claim he left over creative differences with the director, the truth behind Ryan Gosling’s departure from “The Lovely Bones” is far more intriguing than what was originally reported. Gosling, who’d been cast in the role of Jack Salmon, which later went to Mark Wahlberg, showed up on set bearded and 60 pounds overweight; two physical transformations he had not discussed with director Peter Jackson. Jackson was understandably perturbed by the sudden change in his lead actor’s appearance and fired him. Gosling would claim that he was too young for the part, but the truth, as it’s been known to do, eventually came out.

#7: Kel O’Neill

“There Will Be Blood” (2007)

“There Will Be Blood” is the story of a ruthless oil tycoon who clashes with a local pastor during Southern California’s turn-of-the-century oil boom. Kel O’Neill had originally been cast in the role of the pastor, but left amid reports that lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis’ style was too much for him to handle. Day-Lewis, of course, is notorious for staying in character regardless of whether or not the cameras are rolling. While both Day-Lewis and director Paul Thomas Anderson have denied these claims, it’s not hard to imagine O’Neill being thrown off his game when he realized his co-star had decided to live as the man who relished berating the character he was portraying.

#6: Jean-Claude Van Damme

“Predator” (1987)

Before he was an internationally recognized action star, Jean-Claude Van Damme was just a young Belgian actor trying to make it in Hollywood. His career appeared to be heading in the right direction when he was cast as the titular bad guy in 1987’s “Predator.” Unfortunately, JCVD didn’t see eye-to-eye with director John McTiernan when it came to his character’s costume - among other things. Van Damme felt that the cloaking costume made him look silly, unaware that it would be edited out by the visual effects team in post-production. Two days into shooting Van Damme dropped out and was replaced by Kevin Peter Hall - who donned a significantly redesigned costume.

#5: Sean Connery

“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)

A staple on pretty much every list of “Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles,” Sean Connery’s decision to turn down the role of Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is a serious head scratcher. The Academy Award winner reportedly declined Peter Jackson’s offer to play the bearded wizard because when it came to the script he “never understood it.”You know who did understand it? Ian McKellen. The worst part is that had Connery taken the role he would have been owed 15% of the trilogy’s worldwide box office receipts; a number that would have amounted to over $400 million dollars. That’s a lot of money, Mr. Bond.

#4: James Purefoy

“V for Vendetta” (2005)

British actor James Purefoy was director James McTeigue’s first choice to play the mask-wearing vigilante known only as “V” in the 2005 dystopian thriller “V for Vendetta.” However, the role required him to wear a Guy Fawkes mask for the entirety of the shoot, which he claimed made it extremely difficult to act in. Six weeks into filming Purefoy decided that he had had enough. He quit the production and was replaced by Hugo Weaving. Seeing as how the character’s mask is a major part of his identity, anyone who couldn’t act beneath it clearly wasn’t a good fit for the role - Weaving sure pulled it off though!

#3: Christian Bale

“Steve Jobs” (2015)

While you’d be hard pressed to argue against Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in Danny Boyle’s 2015 biopic – he was nominated for an Oscar after all – at one point in the film’s development the role belonged to someone else. Christian Bale was cast as Jobs in 2014 but relinquished the role shortly after. The story goes that Steve’s widow, Laurene Jobs, called Bale and begged him not to do the film. While his official position is that he left due to “conflicted feelings” over the part, we think the pleas of Laurene Jobs had something to do with it.

#2: Buddy Ebsen

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

He probably didn’t know it at the time, but when he was cast as the Scarecrow in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” Buddy Ebsen was on the verge of becoming part of film history. Well, first he was asked to switch roles with Ray Bolger to play the Tin Man instead. Then, unfortunately, just ten days into shooting Ebsen was gone. It turned out that Ebsen was allergic to the aluminum powder makeup necessary to complete his transformation from man to tin man. The incident was actually pretty serious, as Ebsen was brought to the hospital in critical condition. Suffice it to say he had to drop out.

#1: Kevin Spacey

“All the Money in the World”

2017 was the year of the Hollywood sex scandal, and Kevin Spacey was one of the celebrities who lost the most after he was accused of assaulting a 14-year-old Anthony Rapp in 1986. Within two weeks of Rapp coming forward, Spacey had not only been accused by others, Netflix also dropped him from both “House of Cards” and a Gore Vidal biopic he was set to star in. Perhaps even more shocking was the fact that Spacey was completely removed from “All the Money in the World” and replaced by Christopher Plummer about a month before its release. Recasting actors during production is one thing: swapping them out so close to the release date is pretty much unprecedented.