12 Role Regrets Of Some Of The Biggest Celebs Out There

Sandra Bullock almost played Neo AND Trinity? What?

Liezel

• Published in Film & TV
• May 7, 2022

In the acting industry, a lot of people would simply take on any role that would fall into their lap because finding work there isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. A lot of them would also take on these jobs with the hopes that they could be discovered and bumped up to a better part or secure a better part in another film.

Veterans in the acting industry, however, know that you have to choose your roles. You can't just take anything they offer to you.

That's because whatever role you take will help determine the direction of your career.

For instance, if you take on a role in a movie that is sure to be a commercial success, then you might be set on a good path to the A-list. However, if you keep taking on roles in flop films, then you might not be able to make the right impression on others in the industry.

That's why even the biggest stars are always careful in choosing what roles to take, however, that doesn't always mean they take the right choices. Sometimes, some of them regret taking a role, and other times, they regret not taking a role.

Here are a few actors and actresses who've had a few regrets with roles offered to them throughout their careers.

1. Sandra Bullock

Producers of The Matrix actually sent Bullock the script for the film since they were having a hard time finding the right film for the character of Neo. However, she wasn't interested so they cast Keanu Reeves.

Bullock was also considered to play Trinity and the actress did say that she regrets not taking on the role, however, she ultimately loved the pairing of Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.

2. Sandra Bullock (again)

As for the roles Bullock regretted taking, it seemed that her role in Speed 2: Cruise Control is one of them. She thinks the movie turned out badly.

Roger Ebert even had a running joke that he enjoyed the movie more than she did.

3. Sir Alec Guinness

Sir Alec Guinness wasn't actually a fan of his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. He thought the dialogue was "lamentable."

In his autobiography, he even recounted one encounter with a fan who asked for an autograph. The fan said he watched the Star Wars films more than 100 times and Guinness claims he only agreed to give the autograph on one condition: the fan never watch the films again.

4. Sir Christopher Lee

Leslie Nielsen did a great job as Dr. Rumack in Airplane!, however, the role was actually originally offered to Sir Christopher Lee who turned it down. Lee did say though that it was one of his greatest regrets not taking it.

5. Eddie Murphy

Every time Eddie Murphy sees Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Murphy says he feels like an idiot because he turned down the role of Eddie Valiant who was played by Bob Hoskins instead.

6. Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal was supposed to play the role of Buzz Lightyear, and early on, he felt good about turning down the role because he felt his voice just wasn't the right fit for the character. When did he see his test footage for the dialogue from When Harry Met Sally over an animation of Buzz though, he thought, "You know what? I was wrong."

It's part of the big reason he ended up playing Mike Wazowski.

7. Ben Affleck

Apparently, the only movie Affleck regrets doing is Daredevil.

8. Sylvester Stallone

Stallone hasn't been shy in saying that Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is the worst movie he's ever done.

"If you ever want someone to confess to murder, just make him or her sit through that film," he said. "They will confess to anything after 15 minutes."

Hilariously, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that he actually baited Stallone into taking the role in the film because of their rivalry. He saw how bad the script was and feigned interest so Stallone would take it.

9. Halle Berry

Halle Berry was very vocal in her dislike and regret for doing Catwoman in the way that she actually showed up to accept her Razzie Award that year and joined all the other who hated the film in lambasting everyone who was involved in the decision.

10. David Cross

While a lot of people loved Alving and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, David Cross hated doing it so much that he actively told people not to watch it on an appearance on Conan.

11. Dan Patrick

Patrick was once in consideration to host The Price Is Right but he rejected the offer because of an odd stipulation that the salary wouldn't be revealed until he accepted the offer. After turning it down, he found out that his salary would have been $10 million a year.

12. Will Smith

Will Smith also became Neo but he turned down the role because he said he didn't want to be known as the "alien movie guy." Instead, he took on the film Wild Wild West which he regrets doing.

We couldn't blame a lot of these actors. Of course, some of them were just looking for good jobs that they know they could pull off and that would be great for their career.

We also understand that making these kinds of decisions isn't exactly easy. No one ever really knows if a movie will flop or not, right?

Hopefully, they're at peace with their decisions now.

Liezel