Worst2First: My Top Ten Actors Who Almost Played Iconic Roles

Worst2First:
My Top Ten Actors Who Almost Played Iconic Roles

It's hard to imagine some performances being played by a different actor, but more times than not a specific role is up for grabs, and multiple people audition for that role before it's given to that particular actor or actress. Maybe in a parallel dimension you'll see Matthew McConaughey playing Leonardo DiCaprio's role in "Titanic," but not in this dimension. Here are my top ten actors who almost played iconic roles.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

 

Sandra Bullock

Million Dollar Baby

Sandra Bullock actually pitched the idea for "Million Dollar Baby" as she spent a long time trying to get it made. "I couldn't get it made. We tried and tried and tried," she said in an interview. Ultimately the film was greenlit with Clint Eastwood directing, but when it came time for Bullock to star, she couldn't due to scheduling conflicts, as she was currently filming "Miss Congeniality 2." The role went to Hilary Swank, who earned her second Academy Award for her performance. Yet Bullock holds no ill will to the project, saying "when things like that happen, that's the way they are supposed to be."

#9

Madonna

Showgirls

Still "hailed" as one of the worst films ever made, yet achieving a surprisingly large cult following, "Showgirls" is nothing to write home about, and ended the career of "Saved by the Bell" star Elizabeth Berkley. Yet it was almost the Queen of Pop who took the role, but Madonna demanded a complete overhaul of the script, which resulted in her passing on the project - and I don't think she's losing any sleep over it.

#8

Al Pacino

Star Wars

Imagine Al Pacino in the role of Han Solo, and be shocked to learn that it almost happened. He was offered the role by George Lucas back in 1977, but he passed on the project, despite saying it was "mine for the taking." He felt the script was too out there, and he "didn't understand the script." Despite Harrison Ford finally being cast, the role was also offered to Jack Nicholson, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray.

#7

Julia Roberts

The Blind Side

The true story of Michael Oher's rise to NFL star, "The Blind Side" focused on the story of him growing up in a Christian white family and the struggles he faced in order to fit in, and the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy went to Sandra Bullock, who went on to win an Oscar for her performance - but it was originally Julia Roberts' role for the taking. The real Tuohy told Desert News that the part was originally written for Roberts, but she turned it down due to scheduling issues, resulting in Bullock getting the role and the Oscar.

#6

Will Smith

The Matrix

Whereas Keanu Reeves has fully embodied the essence of Neo in "The Matrix" and its subsequent sequels, it was almost the Fresh Prince of Bel Air to don the iconic black jacket and take the red pill into a world of action and adventure. Smith turned down the role back in 1998 because he "just didn't see it," and said later that "I would have messed it up. At that point I wasn't smart enough as an actor to let the movie be."

#5

Britney Spears

The Notebook

It's almost impossible to imagine Britney Spears playing Allie Hamilton instead of Rachel McAdams, but it almost happened. Spears even did a screen test with star Ryan Gosling, serving as a little reunion since both of them started off as kids on "The Mickey Mouse Club." "I hadn't seen her really since she was about 12," Gosling said, "so she's so grown up, but she was really good, actually." Eventually the role went to McAdams, and it would've been interesting to see what would've happened since her and Gosling dated for awhile after the film.

#4

Jim Carrey

Elf

It's almost a Christmas sin to think anyone other than Will Ferrell could pull off Buddy the Elf in the modern Christmas classic "Elf," but the role was originally designed with Jim Carrey in mind. The project was released in 2003, but was scripted back in the early 1990s, when Carrey's career was just taking off. By the time the film went into production, Jim Carrey had moved on to other projects, and the rest is Christmas future.

#3

Michelle Pfeiffer

The Silence of the Lambs

Acclaimed director Jonathan Demme's first choice to play the iconic Clarice Starling was Michelle Pfeiffer, but he said in an interview that Pfeiffer turned it down because she was "concerned about the darkness of the piece." He went on to cast Jodie Foster in the role, resulting in Foster winning an Academy Award for her performance, and the film itself winning the five major Oscars that year, a feat unheard of for a horror film.

#2

Tom Hiddleston

Thor

You may be thinking, "wait, Tom Hiddleston was in 'Thor!'" and you'd be right, but Hiddleston wasn't supposed to be playing the God of Mischief, but rather the God of Thunder. He originally auditioned to play Thor, but the role eventually went to Chris Hemsworth, but Hiddleston wasn't shedding any tears over it, as he was cast to play Thor's brother Loki, who went on to serve as a villain, anti-hero, and star in his own television spin-off series.

Watch Hiddleston's audition here:

#1

Nicolas Cage

The Lord of the Rings

It's hard to imagine that Nicolas Cage almost starred in the best film trilogy in film history, but it almost happened. Cage was offered the role of Viggo Mortensen's Aragon, but turned it down because "there were different things going on in my life at the time that precluded me from being able to travel and be away from home for three years." Yet Cage wasn't the only casting choice, as Daniel Day-Lewis and Russell Crowe were both offered the role, and in a bit of movie history, Viggo Mortensen wasn't even Aragon when shooting first began. The role was originally occupied by Stuart Townsend and was replaced only two days before shooting because Peter Jackson wanted Aragon to be played by someone older, and the rest is cinematic history.