10 Career-Changing Roles That Almost Weren't

[The Mike]

I love these kind of articles, here is the latest:

1) Titanic Starring ... Gwyneth Paltrow
Had James Cameron had his way, Gwyneth Paltrow would have boarded the infamous ocean liner in the box office smash Titanic. But the Shakespeare in Love star reportedly told the press the film wasn't her "cup of tea." Fortunately, Kate Winslet--not yet a leading lady--wasn't of the same opinion and pleaded to be cast. The Academy agreed on the fit, nominating Winslet for an Oscar.

2) Knocked Up Starring ... Anne Hathaway
The Devil Wears Prada star was originally cast as Knocked Up's Alison Scott, a successful entertainment reporter whose one night stand with a slacker leads to a surprise pregnancy, before dropping out for creative reasons. Hathaway later told the press: "I turned down another movie because it was going to show a vagina--not mine, but somebody else's. And I didn't believe that it was actually necessary to the story." The raunchy flick proved a smash hit at the box office, and the part made Grey's Anatomy actress Katherine Heigl a big screen star.

3) The Godfather Starring ... Ernest Borgnine
While it's hard to imagine anyone other than Marlon Brando playing the don of the Corleone family, Brando wasn't the original choice. Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine was an earlier candidate for the now legendary role.


4) Forrest Gump Starring ... John Travolta
Hard to imagine Travolta drawling "Life is like a box of chocolates." And yet Tom Hanks only snagged the role of slow-talking Forrest Gump after the Pulp Fiction star turned it down. It worked out well for Hanks, who went on to win his second Oscar for the part in Robert Zedmeckis' 1994 flick. Travolta has since admitted his decision to pass was a mistake.

5) Pretty Woman Starring ... Molly Ringwald
The Breakfast Club star was originally offered the role as Pretty Woman's prostitute but reportedly turned it down. That proved good news for Julia Roberts, who snagged the famous part instead. The character not only earned Roberts an Oscar nomination but also an A-list career.

6) The Reader Starring ... Nicole Kidman
A-list beauty Nicole Kidman was initially cast as former Nazi prison guard Hanna Schmitz in Stephen Daldry's postwar-Germany drama The Reader. But when she became pregnant, the Australian talent was forced to step down, passing the Academy Award winning role to Kate Winslet.

7) The Graduate Starring ... Robert Redford
Redford was originally considered for the part of Benjamin Braddock, but director Mike Nichols didn't believe the hunky actor could convincingly play an underdog. Apparently Dustin Hoffman could--and did.

8) Brokeback Mountain Starring ... Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix
Before Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger scored the now legendary roles in the acclaimed "gay cowboy" flick, Mark Wahlberg tells the press he and actor Joaquin Phoenix were considered for the roles. They reportedly passed because they were "a little creeped out" by the sex scenes. In the end, the critically acclaimed film scored Heath Ledger an Oscar nod and generated $80 million at the box office.

9) Casablanca Starring ... George Raft
Raft had been the studio's first choice for the role of Casablanca's Rick Blaine. But when the popular leading man wasn't available for the film, the then-minor player Humphrey Bogart was reluctantly offered the iconic role. Now fans can't imagine anyone else uttering the famous words: "Here's lookin' at you, kid."

and the one we all know and love:

10) Raiders of the Lost Ark Starring ... Tom Selleck
Selleck was offered the part of Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg's 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, but he was too busy filming his TV show Magnum P.I. The part of the swashbuckling archeologist went to Harrison Ford instead.

Article: https://movies.yahoo.com/feature/forbes-star-misses.html

 

[Nocturne]

Claire Danes was also considered before Kate Winslet for the role of Rose in Titanic but had recently come off shooting Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and felt the role would be too similar.

Lance Henriksen and OJ Simpson were both considered for The Terminator before the role went to Arnold Schwarzenneger. OJ was eventually dropped from consideration as they couldn't buy audiences accepting this nice guy as an evil killer....oh the irony

Jean Claude Van Damme was originally cast to wear the suit in Predator before it was redesigned by Stan Winston and the role going to Kevin Peter Hall. Jesse Ventura's biography also says the Van Damme was dismissed because he intentionally injured a stuntman.

Superman with practically everyone. Before Christopher Reeve finally clinched the role everyone from Schwarzenneger to Stallone was considered to play the man from Krypton. Years later Nicholas Cage would also be signed to the role before dropping out of that current project and Brandon Routh being cast

 

[Darth Caedus]

Indiana Jones with Tom Selleck would have probably been the best out of the ones that you listed. There is an episode of Magnum PI where he plays a Fedora wearing, whip cracking archeologist and he didn't seem too bad at all. Check this out.

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[hairlesswookiee]

yup...he made up for it by playing Quigley Down Under though.

 

[EVILFACE]

A Schwarzenneger Superman would have been a riot. There was just way too much script for him to spill out at that point in his career.

Will Smith would have been interesting if he took the Neo role in the The Matrix.

 

[Giant Chicken]

Obviously I love Harrison Ford but I think Tom Selleck would have been an awesome Indiana Jones. Maybe Selleck would have had enough since not to make the fourth movie

 

[galactiboy]

Interesting list... Travolta as Gump just seems really funny to me

 

[Spartan Rex]

Lloyd Bridges and Jack Lord were both offered the role of Capt James T. Kirk before Shatner.
Roddenberry said Lord wanted too much and Bridges thought Sci Fi was a bad career choice.
He apparently changed his mind by the time Galactica rolled around.
Jack Lord wouldve been a bad ass captain imo.
On the extras portion of the Superman dvd (1978) They show Anne Archers screen test for the Lois Lane role. What a gorgeous lady and had more charisma then Kidder.
They blew that one.
Warren Beatty and Steve McQueen were the original choices for Butch and Sundance.
Frank Sinatra passed on Dirty Harry.
The Wachowski bros wanted Brad Pitt and Will Smith before Keanu in the Matrix.

 

[EVILFACE]

Wasn't Sinatra wanted for Die Hard? I know the movie was supposed to be a sequel to a movie he did earlier based on books.

 

[Darthrazz]

I know that Kirk Douglas was supposed to be Col. Trautman in First Blood , but turned it down after the story was changed. Trautman supposedly kills John Rambo in the original draft.

 

[Darthrazz]

Wasn't Sinatra wanted for Die Hard? I know the movie was supposed to be a sequel to a movie he did earlier based on books.

Hmmmm, was he supposed to be Bruce Willis' character?

 

[King Darkness]

Michael Madison was originally supposed to be in Pulp Fiction as Vick Vega.

 

[EVILFACE]

Hmmmm, was he supposed to be Bruce Willis' character?

That looks to be correct, from wiki:

Die Hard follows its source material — Roderick Thorp's novel Nothing Lasts Forever — closely, much of the film's memorable scenes, characters, and dialogue taken directly from the novel. Nothing Lasts Forever, a sequel to Thorp's earlier novel The Detective, was written with the intention of being adapted into a film sequel to the film adaptation of The Detective, which starred Frank Sinatra. When Sinatra turned down the offer to star in the sequel, the story was altered to be a stand-alone film with no connections to The Detective. Other changes included the older hero of the novel becoming younger, the hero's daughter becoming his wife, and the American Klaxon Oil Corporation becoming the Japanese Nakatomi Corporation.

 

[Spartan Rex]

Right from Eastwoods mouth:
https://www.cinemaretro.com/index.p...ALLS-REPLACING-FRANK-SINATRA-IN-THE-ROLE.html

Thorp's novel/script floated around Hollywood and passed through many studio hands for many years after Sinatra declined.
It was reworked and picked up by Joel Silver who offered the McClaine role to Richard Gere who not having big enough balls nor any charisma, passed.(thank heaven)