It’s easy to forget that while movies are entertainment for most, they’re just another job for actors and actresses. With that in mind, there are many different actors that are considered for any given part. If things went differently—if someone missed their audition, if someone ended up sick, if someone had chosen a different career — we might not have Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Jeniffer Lawrence as Katniss. Yet, by fate, these actors ended up in their iconic roles. Others weren’t so lucky, though.
Back to the Future
Before Michael J. Fox was making a name for himself as pop culture icon Marty McFly in Back to the Future, actor Eric Stoltz had won the part. He made it through a few weeks of filming before director Robert Zemeckis decided he just wasn’t right. He was replaced by Fox, a newcomer, who would go on to play the part two more times in addition to the first installment. Stoltz would go on to act in films like Pulp Fiction and Say Anything, but he never became a household name like Fox did.
Brokeback Mountain
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal certainly left their mark on Hollywood after starring as two cowboys who question their sexuality in the award-winning film Brokeback Mountain, but they weren’t always going to be the male leads. At one point, early on in the film’s development, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were wanted for the roles. Apparently, according to reports, the two were uncomfortable with the film’s subject matter and the parts went to Ledger and Gyllenhaal.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
It’s hard to picture the role of Severus Snape as anyone else but Alan Rickman, but Reservoir Dogs‘s Tim Roth was originally suggested for the role. It’s obvious he would’ve done a great job, but the role is undeniably Rickman’s through and through. With something as cemented in the pop culture pantheon as Harry Potter is, it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else in a different role than what we’ve come to know and love. Still, it’s fun to imagine Roth playing a more charming Snape.
Twilight
Kristen Stewart will undoubtedly be dealing with Twilight jokes for the rest of her career — and she’ll always have a hard time convincing audiences to treat her as the great actress that she has proven herself to be post-Bella. Oddly enough, Jennifer Lawrence could’ve been in her shoes. Before Stewart got the part, Lawrence actually auditioned for it. Who knows — maybe Stewart could’ve ended up as Katniss?
Django Unchained
From The Fresh Prince to The Men in Black trilogy, Will Smith has earned his immense star power. He hasn’t been able to score a truly great role in a long time, but things could’ve been different if he would’ve been able to get over his (deservedly) large ego. You see, Quentin Tarantino had originally envisioned him in the titular role in 2012’s Django Unchained. The only problem ended up being Smith’s own personal reservations — he read the script and refused the role because he didn’t think Django was the star of the film. He felt like the character took the passenger seat to Christoph Waltz’s Dr. King Schultz and he turned it down.
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