Actors Who Wisely Turned Down Bad Roles

A Gut Feeling

Sometimes, the perfect actor is chosen for the role, and they make it iconic. On the other hand, some actors turn down iconic roles and later regret it. However, somewhere in the middle is a subset of actors who had an almost clairvoyant wisdom in turning down certain movies, and avoiding some horrible roles.

Joaquin Phoenix—Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

To say that the Star Wars sequel series is controversial would be an understatement, with Episode VIII - The Last Jedi being the most polarizing. So, it may have been good that Joaquin Phoenix passed on the role that would later be given to Benicio Del Toro. However, this isn’t the only poorly received sequel.

Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Fred Armisen—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (2016)

Although Michael Bay made only two TMNT movies, they certainly left their mark—but not in a good way. While audiences favored Out of the Shadows over the first movie, it didn’t redeem the series as a whole. In this case, Fred Armisen probably lucked out when he turned down the role of Krang and was replaced with Brad Garrett.

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Jada Pinkett Smith—Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

While the first two Beverly Hills Cop films are widely beloved, the third was seen as a big step down. So, it’s fortunate that Jada Pinkett Smith rejected the role of Eddie Murphy’s love interest. This third movie proves that, even with blockbuster foundations, sequels can still be huge disappointments.

Dominick D, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Matthew McConaughey—Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Although the first Speed is undeniably a classic, the second film—Cruise Control—has a significantly poorer reputation from both audiences and its cast. Fortunately, even though Sandra Bullock tried to get Matthew McConaughey as the new lead, he turned it down. Of course, he wasn't the first to decline this lead role.

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Keanu Reeves—Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Not knowing how wise his decision was, Keanu Reeves passed on returning as his character, Jack Traven, in Speed 2. This was to film another project, The Devil’s Advocate, which was the right call. However, he isn’t the only actor not to reprise their role.

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Shia Labeouf—Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise started strong but slowly petered out by The Last Knight. This fifth installment was the final straw for audiences and critics alike, as many considered it the worst in the series. Shia Labeouf may have seen this coming, as he declined Bay’s request to reprise his role as Sam Witwicky.

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Rachel Weisz—The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008)

The Mummy and The Mummy Returns are staples of the adventure genre, so it’s a shame the third movie never lived up to their legacy. Accounts vary as to why Rachel Weisz declined to return as Evey and was recast, but according to her, she simply didn’t like the script. However, this isn’t the only time a character was recast for the worse.

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Val Kilmer—Batman And Robin (1997)

The various Batman movies feature a long list of iconic actors in the role, but they can’t all be winners. Batman and Robin instantly became an infamous example of how not to portray the Caped Crusader. George Clooney played this rendition only after Val Kilmer decided not to reprise his role due to other commitments and lack of interest.

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Sam Rockwell—Movie 43 (2013)

Movie 43 was a strange project, consisting of various comedic short films that became one of history’s most hated movies. One segment was meant to be a sequel to another short called Robin’s Big Date, where Sam Rockwell played Batman. However, a scheduling conflict saved Rockwell from accepting the role.

David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Jim Carrey—Son Of The Mask (2005)

While The Mask is one of Jim Carrey’s most iconic roles, he declined to return in Son of the Mask as reprising a character didn’t interest him. Instead, audiences saw the standalone sequel as a betrayal of its predecessor. However, this wasn’t the last returning role that Carrey turned down.

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Jim Carrey—Evan Almighty (2007)

Shifting the focus to a side character of the first movie, Bruce Almighty’s sequel Evan Almighty paled in comparison. Jim Carrey was asked to reprise his role as Bruce, but again, he declined. Still, this isn’t the only failed adaptation of Noah’s story.

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Christian Bale And Dakota Fanning—Noah (2014)

There aren’t many big Bible adaptations, and the ones that exist are hit-and-miss. With Noah, what was supposed to be a biblical epic felt only boring and unnecessary by most audiences. Christian Bale and Dakota Fanning lucked out as their schedules kept them from accepting roles in the movie.

Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Zendaya—Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Some may love Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel, but it saw a box office failure when it was released. It could be argued that when scheduling forced Zendaya to turn down the lead role, it was a blessing in disguise. Unfortunately, it's not easy to do manga adaptations properly.

Walt Disney Television, Flickr

Margot Robbie—Ghost In The Shell (2017)

Ghost in the Shell became the subject of controversy as many fans felt that since the anime and manga were set in Japan, an Asian actress should have been cast instead of Scarlett Johansson. It’s probably for the best that Margot Robbie turned down the role in favor of Harley Quinn. Of course, some adaptations of traditional literature met similar fates.

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Charlie Hunnam—Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)

Although it became a trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey was and still is a critical failure. Still, it launched the career of Jamie Dornan, who played the leading man, Christian Grey. Originally, Charlie Hunnam was attached to the role but had to give it up because of scheduling problems.

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Emilia Clarke—Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)

Similarly, Dakota Johnson was not the first choice to play Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey. Emilia Clarke was offered the role but declined for good reason. She had already filmed risque scenes for Game of Thrones years prior and was fed up with it still being one of the only things people asked her about.

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Michelle Trachtenberg—Twilight (2008)

For years, Kristen Stewart was synonymous with her role as Bella in Twilight, much to her detriment. It’s hard to imagine that a few actresses, including Michelle Trachtenberg, were also considered for the character. However, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress declined the offer, as another vampire project didn’t interest her.

s_bukley, Shutterstock

Luke Evans—The Crow (2024)

The Crow is a remake of the 1994 film which led to the accidental passing of its lead, Brandon Lee. The 2024 remake’s poor reception is not only because of the film’s quality but also because it was seen as disrespectful. Luke Evans was considered for the lead before dropping out as he felt unworthy of Lee’s legacy. But this isn’t the first time someone wisely turned down a bad remake.

Sean Reynolds, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Winona Ryder—The Wicker Man (2006)

This American remake of a British cult classic gained notoriety as an iconically horrible horror movie. Many people point to Nicolas Cage’s downright bizarre acting, but the writing was just as terrible, leading Winona Ryder to decline the role of Willow.

Larry Richman, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Djimon Hounsou—The Planet Of The Apes (2001)

Tim Burton’s The Planet of the Apes is easy to forget as it fails at being both a remake and a well-liked movie in general. Even though it was simply a scheduling issue, Djimon Hounsou certainly was fortunate enough to decline the role of Attar. This isn’t the only bad sci-fi movie on this list, however.

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Halle Berry—The Adventures Of Pluto Nash (2002)

Considered the largest financial loss of any movie in history, The Adventures of Pluto Nash was hated by everyone, from audiences to the cast themselves. Halle Berry was considered for the role of Dina Lake but declined as it conflicted with her wedding—seemingly one of the best trade-offs ever. 

German Marin, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Zach Galifianakis—RIPD (2013)

Almost like Men in Black’s bizarre cousin, RIPD was a movie about an afterlife law enforcement agency. It was released to an underwhelming reception which, according to Jeff Bridges, was due to studio interference. Whether or not that’s true, it’s probably a good thing that Zach Galifianakis turned down the role that eventually went to Bridges.

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Brad Pitt—The Fountain (2006)

Although Brad Pitt was initially cast as the male lead in The Fountain, he dropped out of the project early on due to creative differences. Hugh Jackman was then cast in his stead, which may not have been a good choice since the movie completely tanked at the box office. Jackman would later have a bit more discernment, though.

Aubrey Gemignani, Wikimedia Commons

Hugh Jackman—Cats (2019)

One of the most infamous recent movies, Cats became memorable for its cringe-worthy…well, everything. Thankfully, Hugh Jackman was otherwise committed when he was offered a role, which he fortunately declined. Sometimes, it’s best to say no to certain musical adaptations.

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Mike Faist—Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

Partly due to its poor translation to the big screen, and partly due to Ben Platt playing a 30-year-old-looking high schooler, Dear Evan Hansen was an utter box office failure. Unlike Platt, Mike Faist declined to return to the role he originated—Connor Murphy—as he didn’t feel right about it. 

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John Travolta—Xanadu (1980)

Another musical that became infamous for how bizarre it was, Xanadu was considered an uninteresting story masked by outrageous visuals and musical numbers. It starred Olivia Newton-John and almost featured her previous co-star, John Travolta. Wisely, though, he turned it down as he was already working on Urban Cowboy.

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Zendaya—Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B (2014)

The biopic, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, originally starred Zendaya before she dropped out to respect the wishes of the musician’s family. This ended up being the right choice as it was a controversial mess. She later joined up with Marvel, but the comic book giant is far from a stranger to this phenomenon.

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Joaquin Phoenix—Doctor Strange (2016)

To be clear, Doctor Strange isn’t a bad role like others on this list. However, the MCU does come with a lot of commitment, with many actors being limited in other opportunities. In that way, Joaquin Phoenix was smart to turn down the role of Doctor Strange, not wanting to be tied down.

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Rachel McAdams—Fantastic Four (2005)

While the 2005 Fantastic Four was able to spawn a sequel, the duology is far from a fan favorite. As such, Rachel McAdams may have lucked out by not playing Susan Storm after being considered. Still, there was certainly a worse Fantastic Four adaptation.

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Mads Mikkelsen—Fantastic Four (2015)

Through story changes, on-set issues, and studio interference, it’s no wonder why the 2015 Fantastic Four was such a catastrophe. As such, Mads Mikkelsen made the right call when he left his audition for Doctor Doom. Thankfully, he would go on to be in a more successful Marvel movie, like a few other actors.

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Guy Pearce—Daredevil (2003)

One of the earliest Marvel films, Daredevil starred Ben Affleck as the nominal hero. It also unfortunately ended up being more of a joke than anything, which Guy Pearce avoided by declining the lead role due to a lack of interest. However, he would later play a role in Iron Man 3.

Denis Makarenko, Shutterstock

Rosario Dawson—The New Mutants (2020)

The X-Men movies ended with a bit of a whimper, and a long one at that. The New Mutants started production in 2017, but due to various reshoots and delays, it wasn’t released until 2020. Rosario Dawson was smart enough to avoid all the headaches by dropping out of her role, which would later go to Alice Braga. Marvel isn’t alone in having bad roles, though.

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Jon Hamm—Green Lantern (2011)

Besides the bad CGI and convoluted story, Green Lantern had a deeper issue. There was a famously poor dynamic between Ryan Reynolds and director Martin Campbell, whose first and only choice for the role had been Bradley Cooper. Jon Hamm was also offered the role, but declined, and wisely so.

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Emma Stone—Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

While the first Wonder Woman was generally well-liked, its sequel didn’t reach the bar that had been set. Its overall lackluster quality makes Emma Stone’s decision to turn down the role of Cheetah, which was then given to Kristen Wiig, justifiable.

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Ryan Gosling—Suicide Squad (2016)

Before Jared Leto, Ryan Gosling was offered the role of The Joker but wasn’t interested in a multi-picture contract. It's unclear whether this would have saved the poorly-received movie as sometimes, big ensemble films just don’t pan out.

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Michael B Jordan—Amsterdam (2022)

A more recent box office failure, Amsterdam was seen by many as a bland, yet overly-convoluted film. Due to scheduling conflicts, Michael B Jordan was spared this experience and replaced by John David Washington. However, this isn’t the only historical fiction film on this list.

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Marlon Brando—The Conqueror (1956)

Beyond John Wayne’s inappropriate casting and terrible writing, The Conqueror was truly a hellish production. Fortunately, Marlon Brando backed out of the lead role and avoided the deadly working conditions near an active nuclear testing site. Not only did turning the role down likely save Brando’s professional career, but possibly his life.

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Multiple Actors—Cutthroat Island (1995)

Although it has seen more recent appreciation, Cutthroat Island was an enormous failure at the box office. Some may have seen this coming, as the male lead role was turned down by no less than 10 prominent actors, including Jeff Bridges, Keanu Reeves, and Russell Crowe.

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kim Basinger—Boxing Helena (1993)

Jennifer Lynch’s Boxing Helena tried to be a poignant exploration of obsession, but it ended up having a largely negative response from both audiences and critics. The story goes to some ridiculous lengths that convinced Kim Basinger to back out of the role, which she had initially been tapped to play. Lynch isn’t the last horror director on this list, though.

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Jordan Peele—The Emoji Movie (2017)

When Jordan Peele was offered the role of Poop in The Emoji Movie, he had an understandably negative response. After later inquiring about the pay, he was told that Patrick Stewart had secured the role. This proved to be a godsend as, not only did he avoid such a notoriously bad movie, but as a result, he quit acting to focus on directing.

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