Hollywood is always a roll of the dice. Sometimes an actor gets the ideal role at the ideal moment, and sometimes a role gets away, leaving audiences pondering what could have been. What if Wolverine wasn’t played by Hugh Jackman? What if Neo wasn’t Keanu Reeves? Entire pop culture epochs could have been radically different. This is a countdown of ten “roles that got away” that could have redefined Hollywood history.
10. Robert Redford as Superman
Before Christopher Reeve donned the cape, Superman was courted by Robert Redford by the studio. Redford possessed all-American features, but he declined. With Reeve, Superman became a bigger figure than the man playing him, and his boyish interpretation made superheroes believable on the big screen. Had Redford agreed, his stardom could have eclipsed that of Clark Kent rather than allowing him to take center stage.
9. Gwyneth Paltrow as Rose in Titanic
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s on-screen chemistry in Titanic is film magic. But Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed she had a close call at being cast as Rose. If she had done it, history would perhaps have felt slightly different—would fans still have been convinced of that doomed romance? Paltrow passed on the part, Winslet played it, and the iceberg did the rest.
8. Matt Damon as Jake Sully in Avatar
Matt Damon is Hollywood’s “almost” king. He refused the lead in James Cameron’s Avatar—plus a percentage of profits that would have made him fabulously rich. Instead, the part went to Sam Worthington. Damon still makes light of his decision today, but it provided Worthington with his career breakthrough.
7. Emily Blunt as Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff is a bedrock of the MCU, but Emily Blunt was Marvel’s initial choice. There was a scheduling conflict that made her turn it down, which she would later refer to as a “heartbreaker.” It’s easy to imagine Blunt’s dry humor and action skills in the part, but Johansson went in another direction and established a billion-dollar franchise.
6. Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix
Will Smith nearly picked the red pill. The Wachowskis sought him out for Neo, but he declined, eventually saying he most likely would have messed it up. Keanu Reeves’ laid-back, low-key manner was the ideal choice for the movie’s intellectual, stylized universe. Meanwhile, Smith presided over Men in Black and Independence Day. No harm inflicted.
5. Viggo Mortensen as Wolverine
Before Hugh Jackman claimed Wolverine for himself, Viggo Mortensen was in the running. Mortensen departed, not wanting to get himself into a sprawling franchise. Had he gone along, he might not have been Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. Jackman ended up with the claws, Mortensen with the sword, and they both became legends.
4. Hugh Jackman as James Bond
Speaking of Jackman, he was also eyed to succeed Pierce Brosnan as 007. Jackman passed, afraid of being trapped in two massive franchises at once. That decision cleared the way for Daniel Craig to reinvent Bond in Casino Royale. Jackman kept Wolverine, Craig got the tux, and fans got two very different but equally legendary heroes.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio as Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights
Paul Thomas Anderson had DiCaprio in mind for Boogie Nights, but Leo declined to play in Titanic instead. Mark Wahlberg was cast in his place, and the career that was launched did not belong to DiCaprio. DiCaprio’s risk paid off, too—Titanic made him a star—but the image of him as Dirk Diggler is still one of Hollywood’s tastiest “what ifs.”
2. Al Pacino as Han Solo
Believe it or not, Al Pacino was offered Han Solo but didn’t “get” the role. Harrison Ford stepped in, and history was made—not just for Star Wars, but for Ford’s entire career, leading to Indiana Jones and beyond. Pacino went on to dominate gangster films, while Ford became sci-fi’s favorite rogue.
1. Jack Nicholson as Michael Corleone in The Godfather
The greatest missed role. Jack Nicholson passed on Michael Corleone, thinking the role belonged to an Italian actor. Al Pacino received the part, and his frightening performance made The Godfather one of the all-time greats. Nicholson still forged his own legendary trail, but think about his intensity directed toward the Corleone clan.
Hollywood is constructed from almosts and maybes. For each iconic performance, there’s a story that nearly had a different ending. And perhaps the magic lies in the fact that sometimes the parts that get away are the ones actors were destined for.