11 Actors Who Almost Refused to Play Iconic Roles but Luckily Changed Their Minds

Sometimes the story of a movie’s creation is more fascinating than the movie itself. Some actors would agree to play a small part and become famous. While others would turn down a cool project and never get another chance to play in something like this. And there are actors who refused parts in movies, but then changed their minds and hit the jackpot.

Richard Gere — Pretty Woman

Richard Gere didn’t want to take part in this project. He neither liked the story nor his character, he thought they were secondary and empty. But film director Garry Marshall, who offered this role to Gere a few times, didn’t give up and bet it all on Julia Roberts.

Marshall invited both actors to meet him and left them alone to talk. Then Julia gave him a piece of paper, saying, “Please say yes.” And the actor agreed. So, you can say that he took the role because of Roberts.

Jim Carrey — How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Jim Carrey agreed to take the role first, but then decided that he couldn’t cope with the heavy makeup and work conditions. On the set of the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas, he felt that he was not made up, but buried alive.

Jim was ready to quit, but the producers came up with a brilliant solution. They hired a special trainer who taught Carrey how to endure the torture.

Peter Dinklage — Game of Thrones

It’s hardly possible that the fans of Game of Thrones can imagine anyone else as Tyrion Lannister. The same thing refers to the series scriptwriters who wanted Dinklage for this role. But Peter had a different opinion.

The actor had to take some time to make a decision because he didn’t want to play in something of a fantasy genre because he thought he’d have to wear a long beard and pointed shoes. However, when he learned more about the story and studied his character, he finally said, “Yes.”

Zoe Saldaña — Guardians Of The Galaxy

When Zoe Saldaña got the offer to play Gamora in the Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise, she was already well known for her parts in the Star Trek and Avatar movies. The actress was planning to refuse the Marvel proposal because she was feared playing an alien in another sci-fi movie.

Saldaña thought this role would be a big mistake for her career, but director James Gunn managed to convinced her. Later Zoe said: “The geek in me is really dancing inside. I feel very happy. This is something that I could have only dreamed of doing and I have James Gunn to thank for that.”

Michelle Rodriguez — Fast & Furious

The Fast & Furious franchise made Michelle an internationally famous actress, but initially she wanted to turn down the role. The aspiring actress thought that her character wasn’t developed well enough, and she wanted it to be rewritten.

The producers didn’t agree to her demands and were it not for Vin Diesel’s involvement, Rodriguez would likely have left the project.

Emma Watson — Harry Potter film series

Emma Watson got lucky at a very young age when she played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. But she wanted to leave the project after film 4 and not reprise this pivotal role. It turned out that Emma was very much like her character and also wanted to succeed in her studies.

Eventually, Watson decided to stay. But she didn’t give up her goals and got her bachelor’s degree in English literature.

Chris Evans — The Avengers

One of the most touching stories about a last-minute change of heart involves Chris Evans. It turns out that he didn’t want to play Captain America in The Avengers films because he was afraid of the media attention.

But he followed his mother’s advice, who said that this role was a great opportunity for him and that he wouldn’t have to worry about paying the rent anymore.

Ana de Armas — Knives Out

Ana de Armas almost turn down her Knives Out role. When the actress read the short description of Marta Cabrera, she found character plain. Rian Johnson just wrote that Ana should play “Latina, caretaker, pretty.” It was always important to de Armas that she not be typecast and play varied parts. Fortunately, the star asked for more information on the role, and when she read the whole script, she realized it was meatier than she had anticipated. Ana said: “My character was a diamond. When they sent the whole script and I read the whole thing I realized ’Oh my gosh, I have to do this.’ ”

Russell Crowe — Gladiator

Russell Crowe was ready to refuse a role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, in which he plays Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. When the actor read the script, he thought it was bad and couldn’t be turned into a movie. But then Crow was told that it would be set in Ancient Rome and the film would be directed by Ridley Scott. That information persuaded him to change his mind.

Jennifer Lawrence — The Hunger Games

If there’s another parent we need to thank for convincing their child to accept a role, it’s Jennifer Lawrence’s mother. At that time, the actress mostly had roles in independent films, she liked doing movies that had a small budget and no big stars.

But she still believed that the story was more important than the budget, and she liked the books about Katniss Everdeen. So, when Jennifer turned the role in The Hunger Games down, her mother called her a hypocrite. And Jennifer changed her mind.

Emma Stone — La La Land

Stone was famous before La La Land, but the role in this movie brought her an Oscar for Best Actress. Actually, Emma liked the project, but she was afraid it just wasn’t for her in a physical sense.

She was doing the Cabaret show on Broadway and was sick, and she thought that she wouldn’t be capable of dancing and singing in 2 projects simultaneously. But film director Damien Chazelle wouldn’t give up. After she turned the role down, he met with her once again and showed her demo tracks. And finally, the actress said yes.

Can you imagine anyone else in these roles? Share your opinion in the comments below.