6 actors who turned down major roles in successful movies
Certain films will stay with us forever, and our favourite artists’ flawless interpretations are required for them to become significant box office hits.
But, what if some of the roles had been performed by other actors? Can you picture Pretty Woman or The Matrix without Julia Roberts or Keanu Reeves? These and other parts were turned down by performers who lost out on the chance to feature in blockbuster films, which may sound weird.
There are several reasons why celebrities have turned down certain jobs. Indeed, some stars declined jobs because they believed the film would be a flop, while others declined because the character didn’t fit them or match their personality.
Interested in learning which VIPs missed out on a fantastic opportunity?
Let’s have a look at the six performers that declined key parts in popular films:
Will Smith
We’ll begin our list of rejected jobs with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in the 1990s. He was one of Hollywood’s most significant performers at the time. Smith also declined the main role in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained because the production was too violent for him.
Idris Elba
Idris Elba was approached to portray James Bond in the 007 series, the world’s most renowned spy. However, the actor ended up declining one of Hollywood’s most desired parts, saying that he did not want his career to be defined by such a significant character, which may limit his ability to pursue other projects in the future. The actor would have played the world’s first black James Bond.
Julia Roberts