30 Iconic Roles And The Actors Who Almost Played Them
John Travolta as Forrest Gump?
We connect iconic movie characters to the actors who played them, and we couldn’t imagine anyone else playing them. But would they even be iconic if someone else had played them?
This is a tough question. Even though there are so many great actors out there, they all bring a different sensibility to the roles, which would change the character.
But it does make you wonder what the movie would have been like if Tim Roth had been cast to play Snape instead of the late Alan Rickman… These actors are both wonderful and quirky, but they have entirely different types of energy and appearance.
And would Hagrid have been even funnier if the late Robin Williams had played him? Would Han Solo be the same?
How about Harry Potter? James Bond? We know that Hugh Jackman can be grumpy; we’ve seen him in X-Men, but could he play the ice-cold agent 007?
We have created a list of 30 actors who could have played some iconic characters, and we hope you find it interesting. Do you think The Matrix would be the same with Will Smith instead of Keanu Reeves? John Travolta as Forrest Gump? Take a look and tell us what you think. Enjoy!
1. Eddie Redmayne Actually Auditioned For The Part Of Star-Lord In "Guardians Of The Galaxy", But Chris Pratt Got The Part
Wikimedia Commons2. John Travolta Could've Been Forrest Gump
Wikimedia Commons3. Will Smith Turned Down The Role Of Neo In "The Matrix." Keanu Reeves Did Not.
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4. Christina Applegate Could've Been Elle Woods In "Legally Blonde." Reese Witherspoon Got The Part
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5. Sean Connery Didn't Want To Play Gandalf In "The Lord Of The Rings," Ian McKellen Took The Part
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6. Bette Midler Turned Down "Sister Act." Whoopi Goldberg Got The Part
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7. Henry Cavill Was Supposed To Play Edward Cullen In "Twilight," But Robert Pattinson Was Cast
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8. Thomas Brodie-Sangster Could've Been Ron Weasley In "Harry Potter," But The Part Went To Rupert Grint
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9. Joanne Rowling Was Asked To Play Lily Potter But She Declined; Geraldine Somerville Did Not
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10. Britney Spears Wanted To Play Allie In "The Notebook," But Rachel McAdams Got The Part
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11. Tom Cruise Could've Been Iron Man
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12. Liam Aiken Was Offered To Play Harry Potter, But Daniel Radcliffe Eventually Got The Part
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13. Russell Crowe Didn't Want To Play Aragorn In "The Lord Of The Rings"
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14. Emma Watson Didn't Want To Play Mia In "La La Land," Emma Stone Did
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15. Ryan Gosling Could've Been Doctor Strange, But The Part Went To Benedict Cumberbatch
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16. Paul Giamatti Didn't Want To Play Michael Scott In "The Office," Steve Carell Did
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17. Emilia Clarke Turned Down The Role Of Anastasia Steele In "Fifty Shades Of Grey," Dakota Johnson Got It
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18. Matthew McConaughey Auditioned For Jack Dawson In "Titanic," Leonardo DiCaprio Got The Part
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19. The Producers Wanted Emily Blunt For Black Widow, But Scarlett Johansson Got The Part
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20. Tim Roth Turned Down The Role Of Severus Snape; Alan Rickman Did Not
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21. Jim Carrey Was Considered For Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp Played Him
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22. Hugh Jackman Didn't Want To Play James Bond; Daniel Craig Did
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23. Robin Williams Wanted To Be Rubeus Hagrid, But Robbie Coltrane Got The Part
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24. Gwyneth Paltrow Didn't Want To Play Rose Dewitt Bukater In "Titanic," Kate Winslet Did
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25. Ian McKellen Didn't Want To Play Albus Dumbledore In "Harry Potter," Michael Gambon Did
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26. Jack Nicholson Didn't Want To Play Michael Corleone In "The Godfather," And The Part Went To Al Pacino
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27. Jennifer Lawrence Auditioned For Bella Swan In "Twilight," But Kristen Stewart Was Cast
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28. Hugh Grant Could've Been Gilderoy Lockhart In "Harry Potter," But Kenneth Branagh Got The Part
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29. David Thewlis Was Considered For The Role Of Quirinus Quirrell In "Harry Potter," But The Part Went To Ian Hart
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30. Al Pacino Turned Down Han Solo In "Star Wars," Harrison Ford Was Cast
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The list does make you wonder, doesn’t it? Would we love the characters the same way? Al Pacino would definitely bring a different vibe to the role of Han Solo, that’s for sure.
And Emily Blunt has certainly shown she can kick some ass in the recent movies she has appeared in. But could she have done it better than Scarlett Johansson?
