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30 Actors That Were Considered For Famous Roles Vs. Who Actually Got Them
Harry Potter wouldn’t be the same without Ron Weasley. I mean, Rupert Grint. And the lovable naif Forrest Gump wouldn’t exist without Tom Hanks.
You see, most exceptionally strong characters become almost inseparable from the actors who played them. Like, Twilight and the official heartthrob of the 2000s, Robert Pattinson, will forever stay as the pale, charming vampire with a slow voice in a movie of otherwise questionable quality.
But it turns out, our all-time favorite roles could have been played by entirely different actors. So Bored Panda has compiled a list of pics of two actors, the original one versus the current one, placed side by side for an uncanny question of “what if?”
Let your imagination run free, and just think how different it would have been if Neo was Will Smith. It’s almost like history would also have to be rewritten, but who knows, maybe it’d have been for the better?
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Tim Roth Turned Down The Role Of Severus Snape In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Alan Rickman
Will Smith Turned Down The Role Of Neo In "The Matrix", Eventually Played By Keanu Reeves
Thomas Brodie-Sangster Auditioned For The Part Of Ron Weasley In "Harry Potter", Rupert Grint Was Cast
no way Rupert way too good to be rejected he is the one and only ron for the job
There’s something about the strong characters we like that makes us feel deeply attached to them. Like, genuinely attached as we feel their pains and joys just like they were our close friends or relatives.
The topic is no stranger to academic scholars and Howard Sklar, a postdoctoral researcher in the English Philology Unit at the University of Helsinki, has his own theory. Turns out, our bond with fictional characters reflects our bond with people in the real world.
“We’d have no way of processing a character cognitively if we didn’t have experiences with people outside of the fictional world,” he explains. “The experiences with fictional characters resonate with us because of the fact that we’ve had deep experiences with people throughout our lives.”
John Travolta Turned Down The Role Of Forrest Gump, Eventually Played By Tom Hanks
Sean Connery Said No To Playing Gandalf In "The Lord Of The Rings", Ian Mckellen Took The Part
Ian Mckellen Turned Down The Part Of Albus Dumbledore In "Harry Potter", Michael Gambon Was Cast
And as we invest our attention, time, and empathy in the characters of a particularly engaging film or novel, we begin to respond to them as though they were real individuals. Even if we cannot truly connect with their circumstances, e.g. we have never been in a war, our ability to feel emotionally for fictional beings can transcend these details and make them unimportant. This is what powerful filmmaking and the art of storytelling do to us.
Tom Cruise Was Considered For The Part Of Iron Man, But Robert Downey, Jr Was Cast
Nahh....Iron Man would have been running everywhere instead of flying.
Robin Williams Wanted To Play Rubeus Hagrid In "Harry Potter" But Was Rejected, Robbie Coltrane Got The Part
Jim Carrey Was Considered To Play Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp Got The Part
Russell Crowe Turned Down The Role Of Aragorn In "The Lord Of The Rings", Eventually Played By Viggo Mortensen
Mortensen is one of the most incredible actors working today. Aragorn was created for Mortensen. I cannot see anyone else in that role.
Honestly, as a fan of the books, I could have seen many different people in that role. Viggo did great, no problem with him at all, but someone a bit taller would have made sense, too 😉
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yeah, nah. viggo is perfect for the role of the handsome...the brave...the amazing... ARAGORN
Definitely a better casting with Viggo! Speaking of which I wonder whether bored panda Aragorn II Elessar has seen this one? 🙂
Thank god, even if i like Russel Crowe, but viggo was and is outstanding
I am big fan of Russell Crow, I think he is one of the greatest! But Mortensen is the best choice for Aragorn role. Definitely!
Russell Crowe is not handsome enough doesn’t have that hot & sexy - yes Aragorn is handsome, brave, and amazing- yes Mortensen yes no Russell Crowe no
Thank you! Viggo is just more a hottie with all that dirt and sweat.
Crowe would have been fabulous. He is a wonderful actor. Vigo did a great job.
I always wanted Daniel Day Lewis as Aragorn, I could completely believe him as a Ranger and a King
But if I were Russell and had a freaking time machine. F*** what Peter Jackson wants and doesn’t want. I’d take that 100 million paycheck Russell Crowe would’ve gotten.
Yeah Peter Jackson didn’t have Russell in mind for the role and I guess made it known. At least to Russell Crowe
Bette Midler Turned Down The Part Of Sister Mary Clarence In "Sister Act", Eventually Played By Whoopi Goldberg
hey whoopis Goldberg is in another movie called corrina corrina it is an amazing movie
Eddie Redmayne Auditioned For The Part Of Star-Lord In "Guardians Of The Galaxy", But Chris Pratt Was Cast
Al Pacino Turned Down The Part Of Han Solo In "Star Wars", Eventually Played By Harrison Ford
Matthew Mcconaughey Auditioned For The Role Of Jack Dawson In "Titanic", Eventually Played By Leonardo Dicaprio
Christina Applegate Was Considered For The Role Of Elle Woods In "Legally Blonde", Eventually Played By Reese Witherspoon
Ryan Gosling Was Considered For The Role Of Doctor Strange, Eventually Played By Benedict Cumberbatch
Paul Giamatt Declined The Role Of Michael Scott In "The Office", Steve Carell Got The Part
Emily Blunt Was The First Choice To Play Black Widow, But Scarlett Johansson Got The Part
Hugh Grant Was Considered For The Part Of Gilderoy Lockhart In "Harry Potter", But Kenneth Branagh Was Cast
Gwyneth Paltrow Turned Down The Role Of Rose Dewitt Bukater In "Titanic", Kate Winslet Got The Part
Emilia Clarke Turned Down The Role Of Anastasia Steele In "Fifty Shades Of Grey", Eventually Played By Dakota Johnson
Yeah poor girl didn't want to be associated with sex roles for everything.
Liam Aiken Was Offered The Role Of Harry Potter, But Daniel Radcliffe Got The Part
Joanne Rowling Was Asked To Play Lily Potter In "Harry Potter", But She Declined, Geraldine Somerville Got The Part
Hugh Jackman Turned Down The Role Of James Bond, Eventually Played By Daniel Craig
Henry Cavill Was The First Pick To Play Edward Cullen In "Twilight", Robert Pattinson Was Cast For The Role
David Thewlis Was Considered For The Role Of Quirinus Quirrell In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Ian Hart
Britney Spears Auditioned For The Part Of Allie In "The Notebook", Eventually Played By Rachel Mcadams
In spite of her attempts, Britney Spears can not be categorised as "actress".
Jennifer Lawrence Auditioned For The Role Of Bella Swan In "Twilight", But Kristen Stewart Was Cast Instead
Emma Watson Turned Down The Part Of Mia In "La La Land", Emma Stone Was Cast
Jack Nicholson Passed On The Role Of Michael Corleone In "The Godfather", Eventually Played By Al Pacino
Nope. the vibe would have been SUPER different and the movie wouldn't be the same without Al Pacino.
Liam Hemsworth Auditioned For The Part Of Thor, But Chris Hemsworth Was Cast
Marilyn Monroe Was Considered For The Part Of Holly Golightly In " Breakfast At Tiffany's", Eventually Played By Audrey Hepburn
If you havent read the book: Marilyn would have been perfect, as Holly is described as a curvy blonde.
John Krasinski Auditioned For The Part Of Captain America, But Chris Evans Was Cast
Saoirse Ronan Auditioned For The Part Of Luna Lovegood In "Harry Potter", But Evanna Lynch Was Cast
Johnny Depp Was Considered For The Role Of Patrick Bateman In "American Psycho", Eventually Played By Christian Bale
Bale nailed that role, hand's down, especially after reading the book -- the neuroses are spot on. I would be VERY curious to see Depp handle that though, because lord knows dude has range.
Anna Popplewell Auditioned For The Part Of Hermione Granger In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Emma Watson
Emma Stone Was Considered For The Part Of Meg In "Little Women", But Emma Watson Got The Role
Nicolas Cage Was Offered The Role Of Aragorn In "The Lord Of The Rings", Eventually Played By Viggo Mortensen
Michelle Pfeiffer Was Considered For The Role Of Clarice Starling In "The Silence Of The Lambs", Eventually Played By Jodie Foster
Christopher Walken Auditioned For The Role Of Han Solo In "Star Wars", But Harrison Ford Got The Part
Nicolas Cage Was Considered For The Role Of Bender In "The Breakfast Club", Eventually Played By Judd Nelson
Eddie Murphy Was Considered For The Part Of Grinch In "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", But Jim Carrey Was Cast
Very different comedic styles but Murphy would have been funny too. Carry is more entertaining for kids though
Cameron Diaz Was Considered For The Role Of Mia Thermopolis In "The Princess Diaries", But Anne Hathaway Got The Part
Matt Leblanc Turned Down The Role Of Phil Dunphy In "Modern Family", Eventually Played By Ty Burrell
Tilda Swinton Was Offered The Part Of Sybill Patricia Trelawney In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Emma Thompson
Henry Cavill Was Considered For The Role Of Cedric Diggory In "Harry Potter", But The Part Went To Robert Pattinson
Jason Momoa Auditioned For The Role Of Drax In "Guardians Of The Galaxy", Eventually Played By Dave Bautista
Reese Witherspoon Auditioned To Play Cher Horowitz In "Clueless", Eventually Played By Alicia Silverstone
Saoirse Ronan Auditioned For The Part Of Rey In "Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker", Eventually Played By Daisy Ridley
Angelina Jolie Dropped Out From Playing Dr. Ryan Stone In "Gravity", Sandra Bullock Was Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal Was Considered For The Part Of Peter Parker In "Spider-Man", Eventually Played By Tobey Maguire
Glenn Howerton Auditioned For The Role Of Star-Lord In "Guardians Of The Galaxy", Eventually Played By Chris Pratt
Gwen Stefani Auditioned For The Role Of Jane Smith In "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", But Angelina Jolie Got The Part
Eric Mccormack Auditioned For The Role Of Ross Geller In "Friends", Eventually Played By David Schwimmer
Matt Damon Turned Down The Role Of Jake Sully In "Avatar", Eventually Played By Sam Worthington
Naomi Ellen Watts Was Considered For The Role Of Narcissa Malfoy In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Helen Mccrory
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Was Considered For The Part Of Ant-Man, But Paul Rudd Was Cast
I don't think he could've matched Rudd's comedic touch. That scene when Ant Man meets Captain America is hilarious. And the "I ruined the moment, didn't I" scene. Can't see Gordon in either.
Joaquin Phoenix Was Considered For The Part Of Doctor Strange, Eventually Played By Benedict Cumberbatch
Ryan Gosling Was The First Choice For The Part Of Joker In "Suicide Squad", But Jared Leto Was Cast
Denzel Washington Passed Up The Role Of Detective David Mills In "Se7en", Eventually Played By Brad Pitt
Rosamund Pike Turned Down The Role Of Rita Skeeter In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Miranda Richardson
Saoirse Ronan Was Considered For The Part Of Scarlet Witch, Eventually Played By Elizabeth Olsen
Anne Hathaway Dropped Out From Playing Tiffany In "The Silver Linings Playbook", Jennifer Lawrence Was Cast Instead
One of my all-time favourite films, and Jennifer was FAB in it, can't imagine anyone else doing as well as she did. Just superb!
Olivia Wilde Passed On The Role Of Gamora In "Guardians Of The Galaxy", Eventually Played By Zoe Saldana
Kate Elizabeth Winslet Was Offered The Role Of Helena Ravenclaw In "Harry Potter", But Kelly Macdonald Got The Part
It seems like Harry Potter movies would have been very different, nearly every role was potentially another actor.
Here's an even crazier story: The Beatles were going to make a Lord of the Rings film in the mid- 1960's with *drumroll* Stanley Kubrick. The film would have featured original Beatles songs. Paul McCartney would portray Frodo Baggins, Ringo Starr as Sam Gamgee, George Harrison as Gandalf and John Lennon would appear as Gollum. Stanley Kubrick didn't like the idea and neither did J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien didn't want his work to be turned into an LSD trip and I have to say I think it would have been a disaster if he had let it happen.
All the could-have-been had good carrers without those roles, many of the actual cast wouldnt have done without it. Anyway, if they had accepted the job, and they would appear in this post whith other actors (or the actual cast) as the could-have-beens, nothing would change and people would say exactly the same things "thank god, he/she was the perfect election for the role, it wouldnt be the same without him/her "
You know, I always wondered who the ones were that were turned down...
Tom Selleck was to play Indiana Jones from the start, but he was contracted to film Magnum P.I and couldn't get out of it, so the role went to Harrison Ford. Selleck is good, but can you imagine him as Indy? I can't.
I'm eternally thankful that Gregory Peck was Ahab in Moby D**k! (the good one, the '56 film) Charlton Heston? aw hell no!
Probably one person with several users. Maybe it's one of those people that tend to impersonate BP staff? Someone having a grudge on BP perhaps?
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Would have been nice if every photo of the actor that didnt play the part was from the same year as the photo from the film/series
The layout of the actors' photos throughout thus piece is inconsistent -- the could-have-beens on the left suddenly switch to the right, then back again. A bit frustrating.
I find all of these really interesting. You can so clearly picture how a film would be dramatically changed, an entirely different mood, with alternate casting.
In Reservoir Dogs the part of Mr Orange was originally offered to James Woods, but his agent didn't let him know and was subsequently fired because of this. I like Tim Roth, but I genuinely believe that James Woods would've been a better choice.
It seems like Harry Potter movies would have been very different, nearly every role was potentially another actor.
Here's an even crazier story: The Beatles were going to make a Lord of the Rings film in the mid- 1960's with *drumroll* Stanley Kubrick. The film would have featured original Beatles songs. Paul McCartney would portray Frodo Baggins, Ringo Starr as Sam Gamgee, George Harrison as Gandalf and John Lennon would appear as Gollum. Stanley Kubrick didn't like the idea and neither did J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien didn't want his work to be turned into an LSD trip and I have to say I think it would have been a disaster if he had let it happen.
All the could-have-been had good carrers without those roles, many of the actual cast wouldnt have done without it. Anyway, if they had accepted the job, and they would appear in this post whith other actors (or the actual cast) as the could-have-beens, nothing would change and people would say exactly the same things "thank god, he/she was the perfect election for the role, it wouldnt be the same without him/her "
You know, I always wondered who the ones were that were turned down...
Tom Selleck was to play Indiana Jones from the start, but he was contracted to film Magnum P.I and couldn't get out of it, so the role went to Harrison Ford. Selleck is good, but can you imagine him as Indy? I can't.
I'm eternally thankful that Gregory Peck was Ahab in Moby D**k! (the good one, the '56 film) Charlton Heston? aw hell no!
Probably one person with several users. Maybe it's one of those people that tend to impersonate BP staff? Someone having a grudge on BP perhaps?
Load More Replies... Would have been nice if every photo of the actor that didnt play the part was from the same year as the photo from the film/series
The layout of the actors' photos throughout thus piece is inconsistent -- the could-have-beens on the left suddenly switch to the right, then back again. A bit frustrating.
I find all of these really interesting. You can so clearly picture how a film would be dramatically changed, an entirely different mood, with alternate casting.
In Reservoir Dogs the part of Mr Orange was originally offered to James Woods, but his agent didn't let him know and was subsequently fired because of this. I like Tim Roth, but I genuinely believe that James Woods would've been a better choice.
