You’ve seen the movies and even loved them, But!!What if Johnny Depp wasn’t Jack Sparrow? Or what if someone else played the role of Michael Corleone in the Godfather? Could you imagine these roles any other way? As iconic as the portrayal of these roles were by the actors who played them, the incredible fact is that they were not exactly the director’s first choice for the role. It was someone else.
Hypothetically speaking, if you could imagine the face of the first choice of these characters, would that seem in place? Even the thought of another actor playing such roles, would that feel right??? Just think about it while taking a look at these 12 movies with actors, not the first choice. They would not have turned out the way they did with someone else playing the leading role.
The mannerism and portrayal of the character Michael Corleone was suited to Al Pacino as he did absolute justice to the role. But!! What if Jack Nicholson played the part? Yes! He was the first choice for the character as he revealed in an interview in 2004. Jack mentioned that there was a reason for turning down the role. According to him, it was made for an Italian actor. "Back then I believed that Indians should play Indians and Italians should play Italians,” He went on to say that "There were a lot of actors who could have played Michael, myself included, but Al Pacino was Michael Corleone, said the actor who stood out in the movie “the Shining”. “I can’t think of a better compliment to pay him.”
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Would you have liked seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger as John McLane in the Die Hard franchise? The role was actually offered first to Schwarzenegger having been proposed as a continuation to Commando (1985). Arnold went on to refuse the role for his own reasons and Bruce Willis was chosen instead.
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Would Julia Roberts have won an Oscar for the role of Leigh Ann Tuohy?? As fate would have it, Roberts had already agreed to star in Valentine’s Day. Movie producers had no option but to turn to Sandra Bullock to act in the movie which she excelled in inspite of a pay cut. Bullock even went straight on to win an Academy award.
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This was the movie of the 80’s that gave Julia Roberts a huge break in Hollywood. However, she wasn’t the first choice for the movie and the role was offered to Molly Ringwald. Ringwald was handed the script titled “$ 3000”. Later it was retiled as “Pretty Woman”. Ringwald says she doesn’t remember turning it down but praised Roberts work by saying “"The script was okay but I gotta say, Julia Roberts is what makes that movie. It was her part. Every actor hopes for a part that lets them shine like that.”
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Contrary to popular reports, Bullock being the first choice for the role of Maggie Fitzgerald, never really turned down the role. She said that the film never really got off and she just couldn’t get it made. By the time filming had started, she was already shooting for Miss Congeniality 2. Bullock said "When things like that happen, that's the way they are supposed to be."
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Well! Coming to think of it, this wouldn’t have been too bad for the movie as you can see in the comparison image. Tom Cruise too could have pulled off the same attitude and screen presence as Robert Downey Jr. However, when the rights to the film were purchased by Fox studios, Cruise and Nicholas Cage were being considered as Ironman. The role ultimately went to Downey when filming began in 2009.
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Kate Winslet’s iconic and stellar performance in the Titanic will make anyone wish that this didn’t happen. Paltrow revealed in an interview that she along with Winslet was finalized for the role but she decided to turn it down. She said “I look back at the choices I've made and think, 'Why the hell did I say yes to that? And no to that?' And you know, you look at the big picture and think: There's a universal lesson here. What good is it to hold onto roles?"
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After seeing the movie, in no way would any movie fan want anyone besides Leonardo Di Caprio in the role of Jack Dawson. But! That might not have happened if the first choice of the role was finalized. It was Matthew McConaughey who was being considered for the role but he declined it because he didn’t like the plot. When he said no eve after a second request by James Cameron, the part was given to Leonardo Di Caprio.
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I am Legend was supposed to be released in the nineties with Schwarzenegger in the lead role. However, the film was postponed and ultimately the role were given to Will Smith.
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Al Pacino revealed that he turned down the role because he couldn’t quite understand the film and its concept. It was later given to Harrison Ford. Pacino said in an interview to MTV, “I remember not understanding (the script) when I read it,” Star wars fanatics will definitely be heaving a sigh of relief. But consider this, even Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken Bill Murray and Chevy Chase were considered to play the part of Solo.
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The role of Tiffany would have gone to Anne Hathaway as Producer Harvey Weinstein had chosen her as the original choice for the character. Hathaway instead turned down the role because of creative differences with David O Russell the director. The film was a huge boost for rising star Jennifer Lawrence who went on to win an Oscar for her role. There wasn’t any hard feeling for Hathaway though because, in the same year, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Les Miserables.
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Well, Imagine this! Does it look like High Jackman could fit in the role??? Writer Stuart Beattie revealed that he wrote the role with Jackman in mind but Disney decided against it. Well, given Jackman’s acting prowess, he certainly could, but once a character has been cemented in the minds of movie fans, contemplating someone else is difficult. Johnny Depp has done just that.
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In Batman 1989, it was Mel Gibson who was the first choice to play the role of the Batman which was the first Batman movie. Gibson declined as he didn’t see the film having any potential. Michael Keaton was then considered for the role and the movie went on to be a box office hit.
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Will Smith is an excellent actor no doubt, but could any Matrix fan contemplate anyone else besides Keanu Reeves as Neo? Will Smith revealed several times that he turned down the role of Neo because he never realized the potential of the film? But Smith in all humility went on to say that he does not regret his decision because he would have messed the whole thing up.
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Among actors not the first choice, don’t think of a young Al Pacino as Edward Lewis but of an older Al Pacino at the time the movie was made. This is one role that was made for Richard Gere even though he wasn’t the first choice for the movie. Al Pacino and Julia Roberts even practiced together, however the Godfather star understood that the role want meant for him and he declined. The role then went to Richard Gere.
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