Not every famous movie role goes to the star who was requested first. Many popular actors said no to big parts that eventually made other people famous. The stars who accepted these backup offers gave everything they had to their roles. Here are ten talented actors who were not the first choices but still managed to create pure cinematic perfection.
Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs
Rachel McAdams passed on this famous role three separate times to avoid popular movies. This meant Anne Hathaway was way down as choice number nine. Anne refused to give up because she loved the script so much. She secretly wrote a bold “hire me” message in a sandbox on a desk.
Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto
Universal Pictures only wanted to make this street racing movie if Timothy Olyphant took the lead role but he completely passed on it. A producer suggested Vin Diesel who brought all that tough guy energy and now we literally cannot imagine anyone else driving those cars.
Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris
This funny movie was created with Bette Midler in mind but she backed out because she thought her fans would hate seeing her in a nun outfit. Whoopi Goldberg stepped up when a contract expired and she totally transformed the story into the massive hit we all love today.
Kathy Bates as Molly Brown
Country singer Reba McEntire took the role originally but she had to drop out because her busy touring schedule got in the way of filming. The part went to Kathy Bates who delivered a performance that added so much heart to the sinking ship movie and helped it become a massive success.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
Russell Crowe said no to this famous superhero role and he actually told the studio to check out Hugh Jackman instead. They cast Dougray Scott first but he had to back out last minute and Hugh stepped in to become an absolute legend.
Daniel Craig as James Bond
Hugh Jackman had the first opportunity to star as James Bond. He decided to turn it down since the scripts felt too fake. Daniel Craig stepped into the iconic role instead. He blew past sales records and proved his early doubters completely wrong through his grounded and powerful acting performance.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Daniel Craig turned down the chance to play Thor so he could fully focus on being James Bond. Chris Hemsworth got rejected without a screen test at first but his agent begged Marvel for one more chance and he finally booked the big gig.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
Emily Blunt was originally offered this awesome Marvel role but she had to turn it down to do a different movie she did not even want to make. Scarlett jumped at the second chance when she got the call and she proved that you should always be ready to work.
Harrison Ford as Han Solo
Al Pacino got the first chance to play Han Solo in the film. He rejected it because he failed to understand the space story. Meanwhile Harrison Ford was at the studio doing simple woodwork. George Lucas met him while he was building a door and chose him for the role.
Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump
John Travolta was the first choice for this iconic character but he decided to go film Pulp Fiction instead. The part went to Tom Hanks and he even ended up beating John Travolta for Best Actor at the Oscars that year which is honestly pretty funny.
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