10 Actors That Turned Down Movie Roles and Later Regretted It

10) Denzel Washington: Michael Clayton (2007)

Starring George Clooney, the 2007 American legal thriller film “Michael Clayton” was a commercial success, grossing $93 million at the box office with a budget of $21.5 million. Initially, Denzel Washington was offered the lead role of Michael Clayton, a “fixer” for a prestigious New York City law firm. However, he declined the part, leading to it ultimately going to George Clooney.

In hindsight, Denzel Washington has expressed regret over turning down the role. He admitted that the movie script was the best material he had read in a long time, but he was hesitant to work with a first-time director. The actor has stated that if given the opportunity to go back in time, he would have accepted the role of Michael Clayton in the film.

9) Madonna: The Matrix (1999)

The Wachowskis’ 1999 science-fiction action film “The Matrix” was a massive commercial success, grossing $467.2 million on a budget of $63 million. The film spawned two successful sequels, “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” both released in 2003 and were box-office hits.

Madonna, the “Queen of Pop,” was offered the role of Trinity in “The Matrix,” but she declined it. Initially, she thought the script was terrible. However, despite her highly successful music career, Madonna now regrets turning down the acting opportunity. She considers “The Matrix” to be one of the best movies ever made, and she has yet to forgive herself for passing up the role in the film.

8) Matt Damon: Avatar (2009)

Matt Damon, a well-known American actor, film producer, and screenwriter, had the chance to star in the successful movie Avatar, but he passed it up. The movie, which grossed $2.306 billion on a budget of $350-460 million, is now regarded as one of the most successful movies in box office history.

The lead role was offered to Matt Damon, but he declined, and Sam Worthington took the role instead. Matt Damon lost out on the offer that came with a deal of ten percent of the movie’s profits—more than $200 million. He considers turning down the movie as his biggest career regret because he missed out on working with the renowned director James Cameron and being part of a cult classic.

Damon cited his commitment to the Bourne franchise and the fact that Avatar would have sequels as reasons for turning down the movie role.

7) Christina Applegate: Legally Blonde (2001)

Legally Blonde is a 2001 American r*mantic comedy film that achieved great commercial success, earning $141.8 million with a budget of $18 million. Christina Applegate refused a role in the movie due to being repeatedly offered parts as a stereotypical “dumb blonde.”

When she was offered a role in Legally Blonde, she assumed it would be another such part and declined. The part was then given to Reese Witherspoon, which helped elevate her to a household name. Applegate has since come to regret turning down the role, as the movie has become a beloved classic in the romantic comedy genre.

6) Josh Hartnett: Batman Begins (2005)

Christopher Nolan’s 2005 film, Batman Begins, is a popular superhero film based on the DC Comics character. In retrospect, actor Josh Hartnett regrets turning down the lead role in the movie, which was offered to him by director Christopher Nolan. Hartnett has stated that this decision had a detrimental effect on his acting career.

Batman Begins went on to become a commercial hit, while the films that Hartnett chose to commit himself to instead, Lucky Number Slevin (2006) and The Black Dahlia (2006), failed to make an impact at the box office. Hartnett was further disappointed because rejecting the role in Batman Begins limited his opportunity to build a strong working relationship with Christopher Nolan.

5) Bruce Willis: Ghost (1990)

Bruce Willis is a renowned actor with a successful career, but surprisingly, he has regrets about turning down a lead role in the 1990 romantic movie, Ghost, which was eventually played by Patrick Swayze. When he was approached for the role during the movie’s planning phase, Willis did not believe in the concept of a romantic relationship between a ghost and a living person, and therefore, turned it down.

However, he regretted his decision when the movie became an instant hit, grossing $505.7 million on a budget of $22-23 million. Willis also missed the opportunity to work alongside his then-wife, Demi Moore, who played the female lead.

4) Kevin Costner: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The 1994 American drama film, The Shawshank Redemption, was adapted from Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” by Frank Darabont. When Castle Rock Entertainment began casting for the protagonist, Andy Dufresne, several A-listers were considered. Among them was Kevin Costner, who turned down the role due to his commitment to shooting Waterworld (1995).

The movie eventually starred Tim Robbins and received critical acclaim, earning seven Oscar nominations and growing in popularity to become a cult classic. In contrast, Waterworld had a budget of $235 million but grossed only $264 million. Kevin Costner has since expressed regret over his decision.

3) Eddie Murphy: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Eddie Murphy, a renowned figure in Hollywood, has made a name for himself in popular franchises such as Beverly Hills Cop and Shrek. He is also celebrated worldwide for his iconic performance in the movie Coming to America (1988). Nonetheless, Murphy has publicly expressed regret over one career decision – turning down the opportunity to star in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

The film was lauded for its engaging plot and masterful combination of live-action and animation, and went on to earn a staggering $351.5 million at the box office with a $70 million budget.

While the producers had initially approached Murphy for the lead role, the part eventually went to Bob Hoskins, and the movie went on to receive three Academy Awards for its remarkable visuals and sound effects.

2) Sean Connery: Lord of the Rings (2001–2003)

Sean Connery, the iconic Hollywood actor renowned for portraying James Bond on film, has had a successful career in the entertainment industry. However, he does have one career regret that is widely known. Sean Connery declined the role of Gandalf, the wizard in the movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novel, The Lord of the Rings.

The series of three epic fantasy adventure films were a huge box office success, grossing over $3 billion worldwide. Connery was offered $30 million per film plus fifteen percent of the box office profits, but he turned it down, resulting in a loss of over $400 million. He later expressed his regret for turning down the role and apologized for his decision.

1) Lindsay Lohan: The Hangover (2009)

The Hangover is a popular American comedy film directed by Todd Philips and the first in The Hangover trilogy. Despite its low budget of $35 million, the film went on to become a box-office sensation, grossing $469.3 million. Its success can be attributed to the innovative direction of Philips, who took an unconventional approach to the story.

Unfortunately, Lindsay Lohan missed out on the opportunity to be a part of this remarkable success. Although she was struggling with her career at the time, she turned down the role that was offered to her.

The Hangover went on to become a cult classic, spawning two sequels that were also commercially successful. The Hangover II, with a budget of $80 million, grossed $586.8 million, while The Hangover III grossed $362 million on a budget of $103 million.