There are some actors who play a character so well, it almost seems the role was tailor-made
for them. Casting is a lengthy process and finding the right fit in creating a memorable
character can be a laborious task, one that may require a few test runs. Here are 10 Iconic
Movie Roles that were originally to be played by other Actors.
Tom Hanks, Jerry Maguire The 1996 Romantic dramedy from director Cameron
Crowe, Jerry Maguire, is the film that made a breakout star of Renee Zellweger, earned
Cuba Gooding Jr. an Academy Award and informed audiences that the human head weighs eight
pounds. Before Tom Cruise memorably portrayed the sports agent who had a change of heart,
Tom Hanks was set to star. Five years before the film was shot, Hanks had agreed to play
the lead. Hanks wasn’t crazy about the script and he thought Jerry and Dorothy getting married
didn’t make sense. Four years and a final script later, Hanks had won two Oscars and
wanted to direct. There were too many objectionable factors to continue with Hanks. He left and
ended up making his own film, That Thing You Do.
Molly Ringwald, Vivian from Pretty Woman The 1980s belonged to Molly Ringwald. The
redheaded teen was the sweet girl next door with her unassuming beauty and heightened
angst. She was filmmaker John Hughes muse for years as she starred in his films Sixteen
Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. As her place in 80s pop culture came
to a close, the 90s could have started off with a hit by once again playing an unlikely
object of a rich man’s affection, when she was in talks to play Vivian in 1990’s Pretty
Woman. Director Garry Marshall thought the role would be an interesting departure from
Ringwald’s previous roles. Ringwald was just never satisfied with the script as she
felt that the content was not fitting for her image. Years later Ringwald commented
on her decision as being one of her dumbest career moves.
Tom Selleck, Indiana Jones Harrison Ford is an actor who exudes confidence
and endless charm which is exactly why he perfectly embodied two of the coolest film
characters ever, Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Another actor who happens to possess those
qualities is the original choice for Indiana Jones, Tom Selleck. After the Star Wars films,
George Lucas who wrote 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark was not especially keen on casting
Harrison Ford in another one of his films. He asked Steven Spielberg to cast the mustachioed
Tom Selleck instead. Everything was set and all involved were excited to see Selleck on
the big screen as the archaeologist adventurer. Timing was just not on their side as Selleck’s
pilot for the new detective show Magnum P.I. had just been picked up by CBS. He was unable
to get out of contract for the show and since he was the star of both projects, there was
no way to work around it. This led him to exit the film and win an Emmy instead.
Tom Cruise, Iron Man When an actor has a career as long lasting
and prolific as Tom Cruise, it’s only natural that there would be a few roles that came
his way first. Along with Footloose, Speed and A Beautiful Mind, Cruise has tossed his
hat in many iconic roles from the last three decades. One of these near misses was Tony
Stark in 2008’s Iron Man. Cruise was attached to star as the cocky millionaire genius for
years starting in the late 90s. As Marvel was beginning to make serious moves in releasing
their Superhero films in 2004, Cruise was still in talks with playing the role. Even
after years of interest, Cruise just couldn’t wrap his head around Iron Man working as a
film and decided to give up on it completely.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights
Dirk Diggler is the young aspiring porn star at the center of Paul Thomas Anderson’s
1997 film Boogie Nights. He goes from being a high school dropout with a rare appendage
to the biggest name in the industry, then to a has-been and finally a comeback kid,
all within the span of a two and a half hour feature. The person who was originally cast
to play the complicated mess was Leonardo DiCaprio. It was 1996 and the actor had just
finished Baz Luhrmann's dreamy and romantic, Romeo and Juliet. His excitement for playing
such a gritty and adult character overtook his interest in playing in another film that
was looking for its lead, Titanic. According to DiCaprio, it was the casting of Kate Winslet
that swayed him toward the James Cameron's big budget flick as he initially had no interest
in starring in another romantic drama at the time.
John Travolta Forrest Gump Forrest Gump, the slow-witted man who just
happens to always be in the right place at the right time in history, is one of Tom Hank’s
most beloved roles but it almost wasn't his. Director Robert Zemeckis initially wanted
John Travolta to play the lead in the film adaptation of Winston Groom’s 1986 novel.
It was Travolta who would step into those worn running shoes and share his philosophical
thoughts on boxed chocolate. However, Travolta decided he wasn’t interested after all,
and the role went to Hanks which gave him his second Academy Award in a row. Travolta
admits that passing on the part was one of his biggest mistakes but at least he had an
iconic role in Pulp Fiction which was released only a few months after Forrest Gump.
Will Smith as Neo from The Matrix It was the Fresh Prince of Bel Air who was
going to have to choose between the red pill and the blue pill, or at least that was original
plan when Will Smith was set to star in the 1999 Wachowski brothers science fiction action
film, The Matrix. Apparently, Smith was not completely sure how to play Neo nor was he
sure what the film was going to be which caused him to worry about taking it on. After having few
meetings with the directors to understand their vision, he was still unsure about the
whole endeavor leading him to back out of the film. Smith does not regret walking away
from Neo, as he believed no one could play the role like Keanu Reeves.
Chris Farley, Shrek Shrek is the lovable Ogre who just wants to
be left alone in his swamp-front home and frighten townspeople for his own entertainment,
in the 2001 DreamWorks hit. Audiences are familiar with the Scottish-accented Mike Myers
as the title character but it was actually the late Chris Farley who originated the role.
In 1997, the comedian was on a roll with multiple films after departing from Saturday Night
Live. He had recorded 90 percent of the film before dying from a drug overdose. Farley’s
version of Shrek was much different as it was a story of a teenage Ogre who dreamed
of becoming a knight rather than taking over the family business. Due to his death, the
filmmakers scrambled to finish it until fellow SNL actor Mike Myers took over and made it
his own.
Johnny Depp in Mr. and Mrs. Smith The 2005 Doug Liman action comedy Mr. and
Mrs. Smith is not only known for its massive box office success, it was also the film that
introduced Brad Pitt to Angelina Jolie. Things would be much different if the Mr. Smith in
question was played by Johnny Depp, the actor originally cast in the role. Depp was attached
to the role of the contract killer for some time. Once production was underway, Depp backed
out at the last minute claiming he felt overworked from all of the productions he had recently
completed. The role went to Pitt but Jolie and Depp did end up working together five
years later in The Tourist.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Rose from Titanic Titanic sits in second place as the biggest-box
office hit in film history. The James Cameron Spectacle earned countless accolades and was
regarded as a romance for the ages when it was released in December of 1997. Before Kate
Winslet took on the role of Rose DeWitt-Bukater, James Cameron had another beautiful young
actress in mind for the role, Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow had recently appeared in films like
David Fincher’s Seven and the film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, when Cameron offered
her the role. She decided to pass in favor of smaller films like the British romantic
comedy, Sliding Doors. She went on to make another Academy Award winning film Shakespeare
in Love a year later and the role of Rose deservedly went to Winslet.
There’s our list. Were there any actors we forgot? Let us know in the comments and
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