Movie Stars Who Turned Down Roles That Could Have Made Them Legendary

Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix

Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix because he "didn't see it". He couldn't see the story being played on the big screen and when he saw the movie with Keanu Reeves in the lead role as Neo, he was convinced that he made the right decision as he knew he couldn't pull it off as well as Keanu Reeves had.

Angelina Jolie in Charlie's Angels

Angelina Jolie was offered to play one of the angels in Charlie's Angels but turned down the role for 3 reasons. Firstly, she had never watched the original TV series. Second, she doesn't get to dress up and lastly, she's not a group person. It's just not in her personality.

Alec Baldwin as Richard Kimball in The Fugitive

Alec Baldwin turned down the role of Richard Kimball in The Fugitive because of script problems. The role eventually went to Harrison Ford.

Michael Madsen as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction

Michael Madsen turned down the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction because of rehearsals he had to do for 1994's Wyatt Earp. He was later reported as saying that doing Wyatt Earp was such a waste of his time. John Travolta played Vincent Vega so convincingly that it earned him an Oscar nomination.

Drew Barrymore as Nomi Malone in Showgirls

Drew Barrymore turned down the role of Nomi Malone in Showgirls for the reason that she didn't feel comfortable with the nudity scenes in the script. The role went to Elizabeth Berkley.

Jack Nicholson as Michael Corleone in The Godfather

Jack Nicholson couldn't play Michael Corleone in The Godfather because he didn't feel he'd fit well into the role and believed that "Indians should play roles written for Indians and Italians should do the same." So Al Pacino, an Italian, got the role of Michael Corleone which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones in Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Tom Selleck turned down the role of Indiana Jones in Raiders Of The Lost Ark because of scheduling problems with his TV show Magnum P.I. The role went to Harrison Ford.

Bruce Willis as Sam Wheat in Ghost

Bruce Willis turned down the role of Sam Wheat in Ghost as he didn't think the plot would really work and that playing a ghost would not be good for his career. But several years later he did play a ghost in The Sixth Sense. The role went to Patrick Swayze and the movie became a box office hit.

Russell Crowe as Aragon in The Lord Of The Rings

Russell Crowe turned down the role of Aragon in The Lord Of The Rings because he wanted to do A Beautiful Mind. He said he can't do both so he chose A Beautiful Mind and that was a good decision for his career too. The role went to Viggo Mortensen.