30 Iconic Roles And The Actors Who Almost Played Them

John Travolta as Forrest Gump?

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• December 27, 2021

We connect iconic movie characters to the actors who played them, and we couldn’t imagine anyone else playing them. But, would they even be iconic if someone else had played them?

This is a tough one. Even though there are so many great actors out there, they all bring a different sensibility to the roles, and it would change the character.

But it does make you wonder what the movie would have been if Tim Roth was cast to play Snape instead of late Alan Rickman… These actors are both wonderful and quirky but with an entirely different type of energy and appearance.

And would Hagrid be even funnier if late Robin Williams had played him? Would Han Solo be the same?

How about Harry Potter? James Bond? We know that Hugh Jackman can be grumpy, we’ve seen him in X-Men, but could he play ice-cold agent 007?

We have created a list of 30 actors that could’ve played some iconic characters, and we hope you will find it interesting. Do you think Matrix would be the same with Will Smith instead of Keanu Reeves? John Travolta as Forrest Gump? Take a look and tell us what you think. Enjoy!

1. Eddie Redmayne Actually Auditioned For The Part Of Star-Lord In "Guardians Of The Galaxy", But Chris Pratt Was Got the Part

2. John Travolta could've been Forrest Gump

3. Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in "The Matrix." Keanu Reeves did not.

4, Christina Applegate could've been Elle Woods In "Legally Blonde." Reese Witherspoon got the part

5 Sean Connery didn't want to play Gandalf In "The Lord Of The Rings", Ian Mckellen took the part

6. Bette Midler turned down "Sister Act." Whoopi Goldberg got the part

7. Henry Cavill was supposed to play Edward Cullen In "Twilight", but Robert Pattinson was cast

8. Thomas Brodie-Sangster could've been Ron Weasley In "Harry Potter", but the part went to Rupert Grint

#23 Joanne Rowling was asked to play Lily Potter In but she declined, Geraldine Somerville did not

10. Britney Spears wanted to play Allie In "The Notebook" but Rachel Mcadams got the part

7 Tom Cruise could've been Iron Man

22 Liam Aiken was offered to play Harry Potter, but Daniel Radcliffe got the part eventually

10. Russell Crowe didn't want to play Aragorn In "The Lord Of The Rings"

14. Emma Watson didn't want to play Mia In "La La Land", Emma Stone did

15. Ryan Gosling could've been Doctor Strange, but the part went to Benedict Cumberbatch

16 Paul Giamatti didn't want to play Michael Scott In "The Office", Steve Carell did

17. Emilia Clarke turned down the role of Anastasia Steele in "Fifty Shades Of Grey", Dakota Johnson got it

14 Matthew Mcconaughey auditioned for Jack Dawson In "Titanic", Leonardo Dicaprio got the part

19. The producers wanted Emily Blunt for Black Widow, but Scarlett Johansson got the part

20. Tim Roth turned down the role of Severus Snape, Alan Rickman did not

21. Jim Carrey was considered for Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp played him

22, Hugh Jackman didn't want to play James Bond, Daniel Craig did

23. Robin Williams wanted to be Rubeus Hagrid but Robbie Coltrane got the part

24. Gwyneth Paltrow didn't want to play Rose Dewitt Bukater In "Titanic", Kate Winslet did

25. Ian Mckellen didn't want to play Albus Dumbledore In "Harry Potter", Michael Gambon did

26. Jack Nicholson didn't want to play Michael Corleone In "The Godfather", and the part went to Al Pacino

27. Jennifer Lawrence auditioned for Bella Swan In "Twilight", but Kristen Stewart was cast

28. Hugh Grant could've been Gilderoy Lockhart In "Harry Potter", but Kenneth Branagh got the part

29. David Thewlis was considered for the role of Quirinus Quirrell in "Harry Potter", but the part went to Ian Hart

30. Al Pacino turned down Han Solo In "Star Wars", Harrison Ford was cast

The list does make you wonder, doesn’t it? Would we love the characters the same? Al Pacino would definitely bring some different vibe to the role of Han Solo, that’s for sure.

And Emily Blunt sure showed she can kick some a.s in recent movies she played in. But could she have done it better than Scarlett Johansson?

Damjan