The movie industry is filled with this kind of stories, but we chose the most interesting 5 actors who refused major roles. For some of them the timing was bad, while others simply didn’t feel invested enough in the script. Whether they deeply regretted it later, only they can know. Accepting and refusing roles can go either way for actors. You can strike gold and get your hands on the role of that will consecrate you and bring you buckets of money. Or you can get a Golden Raspberry Awards Nomination. You can’t know from the beginning, so you have to take a leap of faith and hope for the best.
5. Leonardo Dicaprio – “Boogie Nights”
Back in the 90s Leonardo Dicaprio wasn’t very famous yet. But his luck turned and he was put face to face with the biggest decision of his life: he had to choose between playing Jack Dawson in James Cameron’s “Titanic” or Dirk Diggler in Paul Thoman Anderson’s “Boogie Nights”. You already know what he chose. No one could now say he didn’t do the wise thing. “Titanic” instantly brought him in the limelight and he was suddenly overwhelmed with requests for new roles. However, in 2010 Dicaprio admitted he regretted not working with Anderson, calling the 90s movie the only film he wished he had made.
4. Charlie Hunnam – “50 Shades of Grey”
Hunnam actually said yes to playing Christian Grey in “50 shades of Grey”, but he withdrew from the role only a few weeks after he was cast. According to the “Sons of Anarchy” star, the timing was bad and all he wanted to do by turning the role down was avoid a nervous breakdown. At the moment, Hunnam was caught between filming for Guillermo del Toro’s “Crimson Peak” and shooting for “Sons for Anarchy”, so he felt he had bitten off more than he could chew.
3. Chris Pratt – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Did you shiver in terror when you read that as well? It appears Chris Pratt had some serious second thoughts before going in for auditions. Last year he confessed to Esquire magazine why he hesitated. According to Pratt, he was doubting his acting skills after a bad experience on “G.I. Joe” auditions, when the director didn’t pay him much attention. So he was feeling a bit under the weather and thought he’d skip embarrassing himself again for “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Lucky for us, he plucked up the courage, killed it in the auditions and got cast as Star Lord.
2. Rachel McAdams – “The Devil Wears Prada”
We’re all a bit angry at her for refusing to play alongside queen Meryl Streep herself and saying yes to “True Detective” season two. “The Devil Wears Prada” is not the only high profile movie she said “thanks, but no thanks” to. She turned down “Mission Impossible 3” and “Casino Royale” as well. If your eyebrow is raised by now, let’s see what McAdams had to say in her defense. Back in 2007 she told Elle magazine that she values passion above everything else. Since she didn’t feel invested in any of the roles that were offered to her, she preferred to take the back seat instead of just doing movies for the sake of doing movies.
1. Christina Applegate – “Legally Blonde”
You might’ve already spotted the similarities between Elle Woods from “Legally Blonde” and Kelly Bundy from “Married… With Children”. This is what held Christina Applegate back, ultimately driving her to refuse the role that later went to Reese Whitherspoon. After 1997, when the Bundy family was off the air, Applegate had her pick of the litter, but she turned down Elle Woods, in what she now calls a stupid move. Applegate confessed she regrets her decision and her fear of being stuck in the same role time and time again.
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