Actors who said 'no' to big roles
James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in cinema and for this reason it is hard to believe that there are actors who refuse to embody him,
But that's the way it is. Not one, but two of the most sought-after actors refused to give life to the British spy, after the departure of Pierce Brosnan. According to Christian Bale's ex-publicist in a biographical book, the actor thought that agent 007 “represented the worst stereotypes about England and British actors”, and that he also “had already played a serial killer ['American Psycho'] ”. Hugh Jackman, for his part, assured 'Variety' magazine that he felt the script was "too incredible and crazy" and that it needed to be more "real". Finally the role went to Daniel Craig.
Brokeback Mountain', the film that gave Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal Oscar nominations, was initially intended for two other performers. The first director linked to this project, Gus Van Sant, admitted that it was very difficult to choose the protagonists of this love story and that actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ryan Phillippe and Mark Wahlberg rejected him. Wahlberg told 'Premiere' magazine that when he read the script he was "a little scared" because "it was so graphic and descriptive."
The role of Tiffany in 'The bright side of things' was initially intended for Anne Hathaway, but due to "creative differences" with director David O. Russell, the actress decided to reject the project. The interpreter was replaced by Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her performance.
In the early 1990s, John Travolta had to make a decision: either he would star in the movie 'Forrest Gump' or he would play Vincent Vega in 'Pulp Fiction'. He finally decided on the second, and although he lost the opportunity to participate in a film that won six Oscars —including Best Actor for Tom Hanks—, he was part of one of Quentin Tarantino's most critically acclaimed films.
Julia Roberts is one of the most recognizable actresses in Hollywood, but that's not to say she hasn't made mistakes along the way. In fact, the artist rejected two films that would end up generating Oscars for her protagonists: 'Shakespeare in love' (which ended up starring Gwyneth Paltrow) and 'A possible dream' (played by Sandra Bullock).
