Award Winning Roles That Got Away
Some celebrities are still kicking themselves for turning down roles that went on to receive nominations and wins at the Golden Globes and Oscars
Michelle Pfeiffer was offered the role Jodie Foster scored an Oscar for
in "Silence of the Lambs," but Pfeiffer turned it down because it was
too violent.
Matt Damon was director James Cameron's first choice
for the lead role in the awards show favorite "Avatar." Damon turned
down the part and Sam Worthington was cast instead, but Damon is still
upset about the decision. "When he said, 'Look, I'm offering it to you,
but if you say no, the movie doesn't need you,' I remember thinking, 'Oh
God, not only do I have to say no because of scheduling, but he's going
to make a star out of some guy who's going to start taking jobs from me
later.'" Damon also turned down the role that went to Josh Brolin in
"Milk."
Julia Roberts nixed the leading role in "The Blind Side." Sandra Bullock said yes to it and went on to take home an Oscar.
"Django Unchained" was written with Will Smith in mind. However, Smith decided to pass, and the role went to Jamie Foxx instead.
Anne Hathaway was originally going to play the role Jennifer Lawrence
picked up in "Silver Linings Playbook." Hathaway had to drop out because
the filming conflicted with her schedule for "The Dark Knight Rises."
Lawrence went on to land a Golden Globe nod.
Julia Roberts was not the first
choice to play the prostitute in "Pretty Woman," a role that snagged her
an Oscar nomination. Molly Ringwald was, and she turned down the job
because of the tone of film — a choice she says she still regrets
Sofia Vergara was given the lead in "The Paperboy" but was later replaced by Golden Globe nominee Nicole Kidman.
That "Gladiator" Oscar could have gone to Mel Gibson instead of Russell Crowe.
Once again, Michelle Pfeiffer missed out: Susan Sarandon landed her
Oscar-nominated "Thelma and Louise" role after Pfieffer dropped out.
Kevin Costner said no
to a starring role in "The Shawshank Redemption," which then went to
Tim Robbins. Instead, Costner starred in "Waterworld" that year, a
judgment error he hasn't forgotten.
Julia Roberts dropped out of "Shakespeare in Love," allowing Gwyneth Paltrow to step in for the Oscar win.
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