Jealousy, ego, and not knowing what a wolverine
is — these actors turned down movie parts for some peculiar reasons.
In November of 2021, "Fast & Furious" veteran Vin Diesel took to Instagram to plead with
Dwayne Johnson to participate in the 10th installment of the long-running franchise,
"Fast X." Johnson had previously stated that he would not be returning, which many believe is
due to a feud between the actors that has spanned more than six years and counting.
However, Diesel still tried to seemingly guilt trip the actor in front of his 82
million followers on social media, claiming that his children still refer to Johnson as
"Uncle Dwayne" and that Johnson's character of Luke Hobbs could never be recast or replaced.
Not long afterward, Johnson sat down with CNN and set the record straight. "The Rock" told
the world that he and Diesel had come to an agreement in private. Long story short:
the former wrestler would not be returning to the franchise.
"Your mistake is thinking you've got a goddamn choice, boy."
Johnson said that he was "very surprised" by Diesel's Instagram post, expressing
his disappointment in the actor's clear "manipulation." He continued —
"I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post,
as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it."
It's safe to say that Diesel's impassioned request didn't make much of a difference in Johnson's
decision. Despite his frustration at the very public way that it was handled, Johnson maintains
that he will always cheer for the success of the "Fast & Furious" movies and their cast.
"A League of Their Own" is a fictionalized portrayal of
the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and its best team,
the Rockford Peaches. Debra Winger was originally cast in the lead role, and she
spent months training with the Chicago Cubs in order to increase her authenticity. However, the
moment that Madonna was added to the project, the "Terms of Endearment" actress was out the door.
Winger believed that, rather than "A League of Their Own" being the
historically empowering story it was meant to be, the Queen of Pop's involvement
would drive the film in a different direction. She told The Telegraph —
"I think [her] acting career has spoken for itself."
"And what am I supposed to do, huh?
Go back to taxi dancing? Ten cents so some slob can sweat gin all over me?"
Despite the film's eventual positive reception,
the actress had a few choice words to say about the final product — like her
claim that Madonna lacked the proper preparation. Winger told Vanity Fair —
"As entertaining as [the final film] was, you don't walk away going, 'Wow,
those women did that.' You kind of go, 'Is that true?'"
In 2013, production for the Natalie Portman Western film "Jane Got a Gun" was about to
kick off when it hit a major snag. After a three-day standoff over delays and control of
the final cut with producer Scott Steindorff, director Lynne Ramsay stepped away from the
project the day that production was supposed to begin, leaving a chaotic environment behind.
Ramsay's choice to quit the film ultimately led to the departure of cinematographer
Darius Khondji and actor Jude Law, who was originally set to play the movie's antagonist.
Several unnamed sources claim that Law had admitted to only signing up for the project for
the opportunity to work alongside Ramsay, although he hasn't confirmed this himself. Regardless,
without her in the director's chair, he seemingly had no interest in continuing with the project.
Law was later replaced by Bradley Cooper, who also ended up dropping out due to scheduling
conflicts. The movie would finally hit theaters with Ewan McGregor in
the villainous role and Gavin O'Connor in the director's chair. Partially as a result
of the cast and crew controversy, "Jane Got a Gun" was a box office flop. Today,
it's primarily remembered as a low point for the production company that financed it.
Steve McQueen spent the '60s and '70s enjoying the fruits of stardom,
appearing as the leading man in countless films that would go on
to become classics. Over three decades after his death, McQueen still holds the moniker
of the "king of cool" thanks to his long list of interesting hobbies and talents.
During casting for the Western classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,"
McQueen accepted the role of Sundance after reading through the script. However,
he wound up stepping away from the role over disagreements with his co-star, Paul Newman.
McQueen's undeniable star power led him to refuse second billing to another actor,
despite the fact that Newman was arguably more famous at the time. The role later
went to Robert Redford, in what has become one of his career defining performances.
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" went on to garner widespread acclaim,
soaring to the top of the charts as the biggest box office draw for two weeks after its release.
In 2019, Charlize Theron sat down with Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live" and discussed the
topic of ageism in Hollywood. When Theron was asked by a fan why she reportedly turned down
the monumental role of Wonder Woman, the "Mad Max: Fury Road" star set the record straight
by sharing the real story. Theron explained that she was discussing possible involvement
in the film when someone informed her that she would actually be taking on a supporting role.
"I'm not familiar with it, I don't really know, like — I mean,
what does Wonder Woman do? And my — this person said, 'No, it's for Wonder Woman's mom.'"
Theron naturally turned the role down, and seems to be able to laugh about it
now. She called it a "defining moment" in her Hollywood career,
in which she had crossed over to a completely new category of roles without even realizing it.
You might remember Ja Rule from his hip-hop heyday in the 2000s — or maybe
you know him as the co-founder of the disastrous Fyre Festival. Regardless,
in the summer of 2002, Ja Rule was riding a career high — he was one of the biggest
rappers on the planet and secured that year's Billboard Award for top rap album.
Ja Rule had a minor part in "The Fast and the Furious," the first film in what would become
a massive franchise. He was later approached to be upgraded to a starring role for the sequel,
"2 Fast 2 Furious," along with a cozy half-a-million-dollar
payday. Surprisingly the rapper was reluctant to participate in the film.
Rule allegedly acted like a bit of a prima donna during the casting process. In 2015, "2
Fast" director John Singleton explained that the rapper's ego had become inflated. He elaborated —
"He wouldn't return calls. I went to the studio to go see him [...] He was kinda
playing me to the side and I was like, 'What? What is this s---?'"
When talking to MTV about the ordeal, Rule pointed to his desire to make a
more serious name for himself in the acting world, saying —
"I just felt it wasn't the best move for me as far as what I want to do in Hollywood right now."
The frustrated director eventually reached out to
Ludacris to create a new role in place of Rule's, and the rest is history.
"Brokeback Mountain" — the Western romantic drama starring Heath Ledger
and Jake Gyllenhaal — is a beautiful movie, and it's tough to imagine any
other actors portraying the cowboy lovers at its center. However, if you ask Mark Wahlberg,
he'll tell you that he was considered for one of the starring roles, but wound up turning it down.
In a 2007 interview, Wahlberg revealed his reasoning for declining the role,
telling Premiere Magazine —
"I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out. It was very graphic, descriptive —
the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing [...] it's just not my deal."
Wahlberg may not be the most reliable narrator — after all, he's also claimed
that he would've single-handedly stopped 9/11. Perhaps he's telling the truth about
having had the opportunity to star in Ang Lee's 2005 classic, but it wouldn't be the
first time Wahlberg has exaggerated a little bit during a conversation with the media.
Many people point to Marky Mark's strict Catholic beliefs as a possible reason
for his discomfort in playing a man attracted to other men.
Wahlberg has claimed that being a Catholic is the "most important aspect" of his life,
and his recent pivot to faith-based media like 2022's "Father Stu" is further evidence of that.
The National Enquirer even once reported that Wahlberg's priest, James Flavin, always has the
final say in whether or not the actor should accept a role. An unnamed insider shared —
"[Wahlberg] never makes a final decision on a starring role until
Father Flavin gives his OK. Mark says he owes his career to Father Flavin."
It seems that Wahlberg may not have made the right call,
as far as money is concerned. The legendary performances of Ledger and Gyllenhaal
earned "Brokeback Mountain" three Academy Awards and $178 million at the box office.
It's hard to imagine anyone other than Hugh Jackman playing the mutant superhero Wolverine,
but Russell Crowe almost took the role for himself. Crowe was the first choice to play
Logan in 2000's "X-Men," but the legendary actor turned down the role over fears of
being typecast. What type was Crowe worried about being cast as? Why, a wolf enthusiast, of course.
Given that Crowe's iconic character of Maximus in the film "Gladiator" is associated with wolves,
the actor was concerned about becoming Hollywood's go-to "Mr. Wolf," according
to News.com.au. He didn't seem to know or care that wolverines aren't wolves at all.
Given the ongoing multi-billion-dollar franchise that was born from the first "X-Men" film,
Crowe losing out on the role of a lifetime seems like a huge misstep that could have
led to years of regret. But in a 2019 interview on "The Howard Stern Show," Crowe expressed his
respect for Jackman's performance and showed that he had no hard feelings.
"I wouldn't have carried it through with the grace and the, the direction that Hugh gave it."
In fact, it was Crowe who recommended Jackman — a relatively unknown actor
at the time — to replace him in the role.
Will Smith has appeared in his fair share of headlines over the years. Whether it's the Oscar
slap heard 'round the world or his complicated relationship with his wife Jada, the actor is
pretty familiar with being in the spotlight. Back when prepping began for Quentin Tarantino's 2012
film "Django Unchained," Will Smith was offered the opportunity to play the titular character of
Django, which would eventually go to Jamie Foxx. In 2013, Smith sat down with Entertainment Weekly
and explained his choice to turn down the role. His explanation was short and sweet:
"Django wasn't the lead."
In Smith's eyes, King Schultz, the dentist-turned-bounty-hunter played
by Christoph Waltz, is the true lead of the film — after all, Schultz gets to kill the bad guy.
However, in a much later 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Smith claimed that he
turned down the role due to the overwhelming use of violence in the story. He explained —
"I wanted to make the greatest love story that
African Americans had ever seen from American cinema."
Essentially, Smith didn't want to have to rely on violence as the answer to racial conflict.