Actors Who Turned Down Roles That Became Movie Icons

When you hear tales of an actor turning down a role that is impossible to imagine without the person who wound up playing them in the role, it can be hard to wrap your head around. But it can be even harder for an actor to successfully predict which roles are going to stand the test of time. Especially when there’s contracts involved. Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic roles that were passed on by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Will Smith as Neo in ‘The Matrix’

Perhaps the funniest thing about stories like these is seeing where actors went instead due to a lack of confidence in the now iconic roles. Will Smith was the Wachowskis’ first choice to play the main hero in their groundbreaking sci-fi trilogy; however Smith turned down the role because he didn’t understand the role, story, or vision for the film at the time. He cites not thinking he would have been able to give the role the respect that it deserved. Instead, he starred in Wild Wild West, one of the most famous critical and financial bombs of the actor’s career. Yikes.

Emily Blunt as Black Widow in the MCU

‘Iron Man 2’Credit: Walt Disney Studios

Scarlett Johansson is one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood history thanks to her role as Natasha Romanoff in the MCU films. And there was almost a world where she wasn’t even considered for the part. Actress Emily Blunt was the first choice for the role, and was actually under contract for it for some time. However, since the character was due to make her debut in Iron Man 2, Blunt was forced to back out of the project due to a contract she had to star in the Jack Black 2010 fantasy comedy, Gulliver’s Travels. And like Will Smith’s pivoted film, that one pretty obviously didn’t do as well as the MCU films, both critically and financially.

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