Okay, I promise I will stop after this one! I just find it fascinating to think of certain actors in certain roles:
John Cusack as John Bender in The Breakfast Club? No doubt that Judd Nelson was perfect in this role, but how would John Cusack have faired? It certainly didn’t hurt his career to miss this role. Judd Nelson on the other hand…
Bruce Willis as Sam Wheat in Ghost? Yep, apparently this one was given to Bruce Willis to read first, but he thought playing a ghost would be bad for his career. Wait, didn’t he play a ghost in The Sixth Sense? Ghost or no ghost, women swooned over Patrick Swayze, especially after the pottery wheel scene.
Al Pacino as Han Solo in Star Wars? Looks like Harrison Ford was the second choice for many roles. Actually, for the role of Han Solo, he was even further down the list. Before he took it, it was turned down by Nick Nolte, Christopher Walken, and even Burt Reynolds before it was given to Ford.
Warren Beatty as Jack Horner in Boogie Nights? Warren Beatty has turned down his share of iconic roles and included in that list was the character Jack Horner. It went instead to Burt Reynolds, who got nominated for a Best Supporting Actor for the role.
John Travolta as Julian in American Gigolo? Yes, Travolta, who got a break in Pulp Fiction, turned down this role before it was snapped up by Richard Gere. The role turned Gere into a sex symbol and almost 30 years later, he still maintains his leading man stature.
Richard Gere as John McClane in Die Hard? Yes, it all just seems like a vicious cycle as one actor turns down a role, which goes to another actor, who in turn turns down another great role. Such is the case of Die Hard. Richard Gere turned the trilogy down, but it turned Bruce Willis into a major movie star.
(This image is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License)
And there you have it – great roles turned down by actors. Next time you watch Die Hard, just try inserting Richard Gere into the role or next time you see Star Wars, try to imagine Al Pacino instead of Harrison Ford.