Denzel Washington, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon are just some of the actors who publicly admitted that they regretted turning down roles in productions that won awards at festivals, became cinema hits and over time the classics.
As our proverb would say – it is not for whom it is intended, but for whom it is destined. It is the same in the film industry, so some of the iconic roles were played by actors who were not the first choice of the production. Those films launched them into orbit, and those who rejected them were left with regrets.
One of them is Oscar winner Denzel Washington, who did not accept roles in the movie “Seven”, but never gave an explanation for that. It is not known whether he was supposed to play an experienced detective or a brash newbie, who were eventually brought to life by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, writes “The Independent”.
It is speculated that the reason was director David Fincher, who had directed only one film before that, and that was the unsuccessful “Alien 3”. What he did admit was why he turned down the corporate intrigue thriller Michael Clayton, which he even said was the best material he’d read in a long time… He said he was nervous about the director for the first time and made a mistake. , and the role went to George Clooney.
Leonardo DiCaprio, on the other hand, skipped the offer for the movie “Boogie Nights”. He confirmed that he turned down the lead role that ended up being played by Mark Wahlberg and catapulted him to stardom. The reason for this was the film “Titanic” on which he worked and he was afraid of cooperation with the little-known director Paul Thomas Anderson.
– “Boogie Nights is a movie that I loved and that I wish I had done,” DiCaprio told GQ.
When asked by journalists whether he would have turned down “Titanic” instead of “Boogie Nights” from this perspective, he remained confused:
– I’m not saying that I would. But that would be a different trajectory, career-wise. I think they’re both great and I wish I could have done them both… The truth is, if I hadn’t done Titanic, I wouldn’t have the career I have now, for sure. But it would be interesting to see if I would go the other way.
It is particularly interesting that three stars coldly rejected the offer to be part of the blockbuster “The Matrix” – Brad Pitt, Will Smith and Madonna. Speaking about this film, Pitt expressed regret for turning down the role of Neo:
– I took the red pill – he joked, alluding to the choice in the film between complete clarity or blissful ignorance and added: – I come from a place, maybe it’s my upbringing, where if it didn’t happen, then it wasn’t mine. I really believe that role was never mine.
Nea was played by Keanu Reeves and Pitt suggested that The Matrix was just one of the big movies he turned down and that it would take two nights of the show to come up with a list.
The fact is that very few actors had confidence in this film, so Will Smith turned down the main role in favor of a much less loved film. On his YouTube channel, he described meeting directors Lana and Liliana Wachowski, as well as how he had difficulty understanding their ideas about the “bullet-time” effect, i.e. the effect of slow motion. So, by his own admission, he starred in the movie “Wild Wild West” instead and admitted that it was a notorious failure that he regretted for more than 20 years. Although he said he wasn’t proud of it, he added that he wouldn’t be as good in the role as Reeves.
– Keanu was perfect, Laurence Fishburne was perfect, so I probably would have ruined The Matrix, so I did everyone a favor.
Even Madonna, a star from the world of show business, refused to participate in this film. And although she is not prone to remorse, at the cost of being ridiculed for her justifications, she testified on Jimmy Fallon’s TV show:
– I turned down a role in the movie “The Matrix”, can you believe that? I want to kill myself. It’s, like, one of the best movies ever made. A small part of me regrets that decision – said Madonna, but she did not reveal which role was intended for her.
Many would think that Matt Damon does not make such mistakes, but “Avatar” proved otherwise, although he never explicitly said that he regretted not agreeing to star in James Cameron’s production, which offered him not only the main role, but also 10 percent of the gross income. Avatar, which eventually starred Sam Worthington, became the most successful film in history. Which means he missed out on an estimated $200 million.
– I left more money on the table than any other actor – he told GQ and added that his biggest regret was that it might have been his only chance to work with Cameron:
– He works so rarely… I realized that I might be missing the opportunity to ever work with him. So it was awful and it still is. But I’m fine, I live with my decision.
It’s hard to imagine the movie “Groundhog Day” without Bill Murray. But he wasn’t the studio’s first choice for the role of a weatherman stuck in a time loop. They wanted Michael Keaton, who told Entertainment Weekly in 2014 that he didn’t understand the script. Then he said that no one could have played him better than Bill Murray.
And how many important roles has Michelle Pfeiffer missed! From Thelma and Louise and Pretty Woman to Basic Instinct and Sleepless in Seattle. And, of course, “When the lambs fall silent.”
– I still can’t “Thelma and Louise” … it still kills me – Pfeifer admitted, as well as regretting that she turned down “When the Lambs Fall Silent”, because it meant that after the movie “I Married the Mafia” more she did not have the opportunity to work with the late director Jonathan Demmy.
She told The New Yorker that she knew he was planning her for FBI agent Sterling, for whom Jide Foster won an Oscar, but that she became unsure.
– I was careful. In that movie, there was such evil, as if it won in the end. I didn’t like the ending, and I didn’t want to be a part of it.
And Sandra Bullock can thank Halle Berry for becoming a Hollywood star after she turned down a role in the thriller “Speed.”
– It’s stupid that I said “no”. When I read the script, “the bus didn’t leave the parking lot,” Berry told Entertainment Tonight and admitted that she regretted that decision.
And he regretted it Bruce Willis for the movie “Ghost” and left the role to Patrick Swayze, and Eddie Murphy for “Who Framed Zacky Roger” … While they regret, the audience has nothing to regret because the film industry has offered them top achievements and some other great actors in completely different roles.
Bonus video: TOP 5 most beautiful Hollywood actresses who are completely natural
Tags: Hollywood actors turned roles hit movies deeply repented
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