Actors that Turned Down Iconic Roles – Part One
Yesterday, I was reading at MSNBC how Nicholas Cage was once considered for the role of Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler. In case you’ve been living in a cave, this was a role that went to ourke and resurrected his career, despite his losing the Best Actor Oscar this year to Sean Penn.
Apparently, there had been rumors circulating that Cage was “let go” from the movie, but he cleared that up at the premiere of his newest movie Knowing. “I wasn’t quote “dropped” from the movie,” Cage told a reporter for Access Hollywood. He said that he resigned because he didn’t have the time to pump his body up to represent a wrestler who had been on steroids.
Well, Cage’s loss was Rourke’s gain and Cage isn’t exactly in a career slump. This got me to thinking however of other iconic roles turned down by actors. You may know that it was Tom Selleck, not Harrison Ford, who was originally considered for the role of Indiana Jones in the now famous film series. Selleck had to drop out because of a commitment to “Magnum, P.I.” That makes me wonder what that role could have done for Selleck’s career or what it might have done to the blockbuster franchise. Would Selleck’s career have soared to new heights or would the franchise not have done as well with him in the role? It is hard to say, but I bet Selleck has thought about that lose a time or two over the years.
Here are a few more people that turned down famous roles and the people who replaced them:
Cary Grant as James Bond in Dr. No? Grant said “No” and instead the role went to Sean Connery, who pretty much owns the role…forever.
(This image, by Alan Light, is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License)
Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix? Will said “Thanks, but no thanks” because he wanted to star in the forgettable Wild Wild West and the role went to Keanu Reeves. The film was such a hit that Reeves reprised the Neo role in two sequels.
Michael Madsen as Vic Vega in Pulp Fiction? If you’ve ever seen Reservoir Dogs, you know how unforgettable Michael Madsen was as Mr. Blonde (Vic Vega). He was offered the same role in Pulp Fiction but was rehearsing for Wyatt Earp and couldn’t do it. John Travolta filled his shoes as his “brother” Vincent Vega and earned an Oscar nod for it.
Stay tuned tomorrow for more iconic roles and the actors that didn’t play them!