Marlon Wayans was considered to play the role of WHO?!? When it comes to acting, many opportunities come along. Sometimes actors are considered for a role, but that actor may have turned it down for several reasons (schedule conflict, no interest, etc.). It happens. The shocking part is discovering who turned down roles…famous roles at that. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at major roles that were initially intended for another actor.
Jennifer Hudson “Precious” (Precious)
Credit: Slash Film
The American Idol Alum was considered for the role of Clarice “Precious” Jones. She was deeply moved by the script and the fact that she was considered. However, she decided against auditioning because she wanted to do other things that had nothing to do with her weight. Which is undertakable. Gabourey Sidibe eventually inked the deal, grabbed an Oscar nomination and became a household name.
Michael B. Jordan “Dr. Dre” (Straight Outta Compton)
Credit: Cult MTL
This one hurt cause I can see MBJ playing this role. When the roles were set to be filled for the film Straight Outta Compton, Dr. Dre wanted Michael B. Jordan to play him in the movie. Unfortunately, MBJ had just signed on to play the Human Torch in the mid Fantastic Four reboot. The role was later given to Corey Hawkins who nailed the role of Dr. Dre.
Reese Witherspoon “Sidney Prescott” (Scream)
Credit: WhatCulture
This is an interesting one. When Scream was given the green light to start production, Drew Barrymore was casted to play Sidney. However, she changed her mind and decided to play Casey, the movie’s first kill (does this count as a spoiler after all these years)? Anywho, the role of Sidney was eventually offered to Reese Witherspoon. She decided to turn the role down. A blessing in disguise because I can’t see anyone BUT Neve Campbell as Sidney.
Angela Bassett “Leticia Musgrove” (Monster’s Ball)
Credit: I Love Old School Music
Monster’s Ball. What a wild movie! Leticia Musgrove was a woman who was struggling to make ends meet all while dealing with her husband who was incarcerated and a severely obese son. The craziest discovery is that this role was meant for Angela Bassett. Angela made the decision to turn the role down. She was against playing a stereotype with black women. This role then went to Halle Berry. Interesting enough, Halle became the first (and only) black woman to win Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards.
John Travolta “Forrest Gump” (Forrest Gump)
Credit: Remind Magazine
Director Robert Zemeckis wanted John Travolta to play the beloved role of Forrest Gump. He was super confident to the point there was no plan B option lined up. However, Travolta was also offered to play Vincent Vega in Pulp Fictionand he couldn’t say no. The role landed in Tom Hanks lap and the rest is history. I honestly can’t see anyone but Hanks in this role.
Will Smith “Neo” (The Matrix) and “Django” (Django Unchained)
Credit: Entertainment Weekly
After Will Smith played “Agent J” in Men In Black, I could see Will Smith playing Neo. In fact the role was offered to him first, but Smith did not feel connected to the role and couldn’t see himself playing Neo. Mainly because he didn’t think that role would make an impact in the movie industry. So, he turned it down. Keanu Reeves eventually stepped in and took on the role. Will Smith was also inked to play the role of Django in Django Unchained. However, due to “creative differences”, Smith walked away from the role…which was later given to Jamie Foxx.
Marlon Wayans “Robin” (Batman Returns/Batman Forever)
Credit: Screen Rant
This is SUPER interesting! The baby of the Wayans Family clan was starting to find his stride in the late 90s. Before joining his older brother in the 1992 film “Mo’ Money”, Wayans was casted to play Robin in Batman Returns. The ink was literally dry (even costumes were already designed). However, due to the introduction of many characters (Catwoman, The Penguin & Max Shreck), having another new character felt overcrowd (basically adding Robin didn’t make sense after all). This resulted in Wayans being removed from the film. Tim Burton kept Wayans in mind for Batman Forever, but he became an instant afterthought when Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher (who offered the role to Chris O’Donnell). The silver lining? Being that Wayans signed a contract and was removed from the film, he was paid $100,000 and still receives residuals for Batman Returns. Blessing in disguise indeed!
Eddie Murphy “Eddie Valiant” (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Credit: Daily Mail
With Eddie’s comedic style and ability to adapt to almost any role, it’s pretty surprising that he would turn down a significant role such as Eddie Valiant. He tells Jimmy Fallon that he wasn’t with the idea of mixing animation with live action. At the time, that didn’t make sense to him (glad Michael Jordan didn’t feel that way about Space Jam). Because of this, the role eventually went to the late Bob Hoskins. If you’re wondering, yes, Eddie does regret not taking on the role.
Jim Carrey “Buddy” (Elf)
Credit: People Magazine
The prime example of “too much time has passed”. Here’s a quick fun fact: Elf was released in 2003 but it was written back in 1993. Crazy right?!?! Which now makes sense as to why the role of Buddy was written for Jim Carrey (who was starting to become a household name in the early 90s). For unknown reasons, production never got going. When plans were finally set in place to fil Elf in 2002, Jim Carrey was no longer interested in paying Buddy. The role eventually went to Will Ferrell who did the role justice.
Beyonce’ “Ally” (A Star is Born) & “Princess Tiana” (Princess & the Frog)
Credit: Blavity
The characters of Jack and Ally were originally meant for Beyonce’ and….Clint Eastwood. Everything was all set to begin production but then…..SURPRISE!! Beyonce’ ended up shocking the world with her twin pregnancy reveal! Seeing that Beyonce’ was no longer able to do the role, Clint Eastwood also walked away to do another film. While Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga did extremely well, I wonder what would’ve happened if Bey and Clint completed the movie. Keeping it on Queen Bey, she was at the top of the consideration list for the voice/singing actor role of Princess Tiana. However, Bey refused to audition. She came in expecting an offer but because she wouldn’t audition, they moved on. Tyra Banks, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys all auditioned for the role as well. Luckily the role went to Bey’s Dreamgirls castmate Anika Noni Rose who did a PHENOMENAL job!
That’s all folks!!! Were you shocked at these discoveries?? Let us know in the comments!