Sean Connery, John Travolta and 7 Other Actors Who Declined Roles in Major Hits

Casting stories tend to get tidier with time. A role that looks like destiny for one actor was often someone else’s first offer. Behind plenty of famous performances sits a “no” from a well known name.

The reasons for those refusals vary. Some actors were tied up with other work, some didn’t connect with the script, and a few simply guessed wrong. Here are nine actors who passed on parts that became part of film history.

Sean Connery and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings

Sean Connery is widely reported to have been offered the part of Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films. The role went to Ian McKellen, who earned an Oscar nomination for The Fellowship of the Ring. Connery has said in interviews that he never understood the story.

The offer is also reported to have included a share of the box office, which would have been enormous. The trilogy took in close to three billion dollars worldwide. Connery has often been cited as one of the most expensive refusals in Hollywood history.

John Travolta and Forrest Gump

John Travolta has said publicly that he turned down the title role in Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks took the part and won his second consecutive Best Actor Oscar for it. Travolta has described the decision as one he later regretted.

The film earned well over six hundred million dollars worldwide and won Best Picture for 1994. Travolta’s own career was in a different place at that moment. Pulp Fiction arrived the same year and brought him an Oscar nomination of his own.

Will Smith and The Matrix

Will Smith has openly said he passed on the role of Neo in The Matrix. He has explained that he didn’t see how the film would work and thought his involvement might damage it. He chose Wild Wild West instead, which was a critical and commercial disappointment.

Keanu Reeves took the part, and The Matrix grossed more than four hundred million dollars worldwide in 1999. It launched a franchise and changed how action films were shot. Smith has joked about the decision in later years.

Tom Selleck and Raiders of the Lost Ark

Tom Selleck was the first choice of the filmmakers for Indiana Jones. He had already signed on to the television series Magnum, P.I., and the schedule blocked him from taking the film. The network’s commitment proved decisive.

Harrison Ford stepped in, and Raiders of the Lost Ark became one of the biggest films of 1981. It earned roughly four hundred million dollars worldwide over its releases. Selleck still got his own long running hit, though Magnum, P.I. did cost him the whip and hat.

Al Pacino and Han Solo

Al Pacino has said he was offered Han Solo in the original Star Wars and said no. By his own account, he didn’t understand the script at the time. He has spoken about the decision with good humor.

Harrison Ford took the part and became a major star after the 1977 release. Star Wars went on to become a cultural phenomenon and one of the highest grossing films of its era. Pacino was busy with serious dramas then, and his career hardly suffered.

Michelle Pfeiffer and The Silence of the Lambs

Michelle Pfeiffer was reportedly among the actresses considered for FBI trainee Clarice Starling. She turned the part down, and Jodie Foster took it. Foster won the Best Actress Oscar for the performance.

The Silence of the Lambs swept the top five Oscar categories in 1992. Those were Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay. Only two other films had managed that before it, which makes Pfeiffer’s refusal one of the more consequential.

Nicolas Cage and Aragorn

Nicolas Cage has said he was offered the role of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. He turned it down because he didn’t want to spend long stretches away from his family. Viggo Mortensen eventually took over the role, after other changes in the cast.

Mortensen’s performance became one of the defining parts of the trilogy. The Return of the King won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for in 2004. Cage has said he had no great regret, since his reason was personal.

Burt Reynolds and Terms of Endearment

Burt Reynolds publicly acknowledged he turned down the role of retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment. Jack Nicholson played the part instead and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Reynolds later called the choice one of his career mistakes.

The film won Best Picture for 1983 and was a hit with audiences and critics alike. Reynolds was at the height of his own box office pull at the time. Still, the refusal kept him out of one of the decade’s most admired films.

Molly Ringwald and Pretty Woman

Molly Ringwald has said she declined the lead in Pretty Woman, a role that went to Julia Roberts. Ringwald has explained that she wasn’t comfortable with the material. The film made Roberts an international star and earned her an Oscar nomination.

She has also said she passed on Ghost, in which Demi Moore starred. Pretty Woman earned close to half a billion dollars worldwide in 1990, and Ghost passed the half billion mark. Ringwald has been matter of fact about the decisions in later interviews.