Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
1.9Mviews
30 Actors That Were Considered For Famous Roles Vs. Who Actually Got Them
Harry Potter wouldn’t be the same without Ron Weasley. I mean, Rupert Grint. And the lovable naif Forrest Gump wouldn’t exist without Tom Hanks.
You see, most exceptionally strong characters become almost inseparable from the actors who played them. Like, Twilight and the official heartthrob of the 2000s, Robert Pattinson, will forever stay as the pale, charming vampire with a slow voice in a movie of otherwise questionable quality.
But it turns out, our all-time favorite roles could have been played by entirely different actors. So Bored Panda has compiled a list of pics of two actors, the original one versus the current one, placed side by side for an uncanny question of “what if?”
Let your imagination run free, and just think how different it would have been if Neo was Will Smith. It’s almost like history would also have to be rewritten, but who knows, maybe it’d have been for the better?
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Tim Roth Turned Down The Role Of Severus Snape In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Alan Rickman
RELATED:
#2
Will Smith Turned Down The Role Of Neo In "The Matrix", Eventually Played By Keanu Reeves
#3
Thomas Brodie-Sangster Auditioned For The Part Of Ron Weasley In "Harry Potter", Rupert Grint Was Cast
MyPrecious 3 years ago
no way Rupert way too good to be rejected he is the one and only ron for the job
There’s something about the strong characters we like that makes us feel deeply attached to them. Like, genuinely attached as we feel their pains and joys just like they were our close friends or relatives.
The topic is no stranger to academic scholars and Howard Sklar, a postdoctoral researcher in the English Philology Unit at the University of Helsinki, has his own theory. Turns out, our bond with fictional characters reflects our bond with people in the real world.
“We’d have no way of processing a character cognitively if we didn’t have experiences with people outside of the fictional world,” he explains. “The experiences with fictional characters resonate with us because of the fact that we’ve had deep experiences with people throughout our lives.”
#4
John Travolta Turned Down The Role Of Forrest Gump, Eventually Played By Tom Hanks
#5
Sean Connery Said No To Playing Gandalf In "The Lord Of The Rings", Ian Mckellen Took The Part
#6
Ian Mckellen Turned Down The Part Of Albus Dumbledore In "Harry Potter", Michael Gambon Was Cast
And as we invest our attention, time, and empathy in the characters of a particularly engaging film or novel, we begin to respond to them as though they were real individuals. Even if we cannot truly connect with their circumstances, e.g. we have never been in a war, our ability to feel emotionally for fictional beings can transcend these details and make them unimportant. This is what powerful filmmaking and the art of storytelling do to us.
#7
Tom Cruise Was Considered For The Part Of Iron Man, But Robert Downey, Jr Was Cast
ahmad fauzi md sharif 3 years ago
Nahh....Iron Man would have been running everywhere instead of flying.
#8
Robin Williams Wanted To Play Rubeus Hagrid In "Harry Potter" But Was Rejected, Robbie Coltrane Got The Part
#9
Jim Carrey Was Considered To Play Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp Got The Part
#10
Russell Crowe Turned Down The Role Of Aragorn In "The Lord Of The Rings", Eventually Played By Viggo Mortensen
#11
Bette Midler Turned Down The Part Of Sister Mary Clarence In "Sister Act", Eventually Played By Whoopi Goldberg
MyPrecious 3 years ago
hey whoopis Goldberg is in another movie called corrina corrina it is an amazing movie
#12
Eddie Redmayne Auditioned For The Part Of Star-Lord In "Guardians Of The Galaxy", But Chris Pratt Was Cast
#13
Al Pacino Turned Down The Part Of Han Solo In "Star Wars", Eventually Played By Harrison Ford
#14
Matthew Mcconaughey Auditioned For The Role Of Jack Dawson In "Titanic", Eventually Played By Leonardo Dicaprio
#15
Christina Applegate Was Considered For The Role Of Elle Woods In "Legally Blonde", Eventually Played By Reese Witherspoon
#16
Ryan Gosling Was Considered For The Role Of Doctor Strange, Eventually Played By Benedict Cumberbatch
#17
Paul Giamatt Declined The Role Of Michael Scott In "The Office", Steve Carell Got The Part
#18
Emily Blunt Was The First Choice To Play Black Widow, But Scarlett Johansson Got The Part
#19
Hugh Grant Was Considered For The Part Of Gilderoy Lockhart In "Harry Potter", But Kenneth Branagh Was Cast
#20
Gwyneth Paltrow Turned Down The Role Of Rose Dewitt Bukater In "Titanic", Kate Winslet Got The Part
#21
Emilia Clarke Turned Down The Role Of Anastasia Steele In "Fifty Shades Of Grey", Eventually Played By Dakota Johnson
Kisses4Katie 3 years ago
Yeah poor girl didn't want to be associated with sex roles for everything.
#22
Liam Aiken Was Offered The Role Of Harry Potter, But Daniel Radcliffe Got The Part
#23
Joanne Rowling Was Asked To Play Lily Potter In "Harry Potter", But She Declined, Geraldine Somerville Got The Part
#24
Hugh Jackman Turned Down The Role Of James Bond, Eventually Played By Daniel Craig
#25
Henry Cavill Was The First Pick To Play Edward Cullen In "Twilight", Robert Pattinson Was Cast For The Role
#26
David Thewlis Was Considered For The Role Of Quirinus Quirrell In "Harry Potter", Eventually Played By Ian Hart
#27
Britney Spears Auditioned For The Part Of Allie In "The Notebook", Eventually Played By Rachel Mcadams
Bole Perishon 3 years ago
In spite of her attempts, Britney Spears can not be categorised as "actress".
#28
Jennifer Lawrence Auditioned For The Role Of Bella Swan In "Twilight", But Kristen Stewart Was Cast Instead
#29
Emma Watson Turned Down The Part Of Mia In "La La Land", Emma Stone Was Cast
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Sasy 3 years ago
It seems like Harry Potter movies would have been very different, nearly every role was potentially another actor.
The 5-star rated 5-star rating system 3 years ago
Here's an even crazier story: The Beatles were going to make a Lord of the Rings film in the mid- 1960's with *drumroll* Stanley Kubrick. The film would have featured original Beatles songs. Paul McCartney would portray Frodo Baggins, Ringo Starr as Sam Gamgee, George Harrison as Gandalf and John Lennon would appear as Gollum. Stanley Kubrick didn't like the idea and neither did J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien didn't want his work to be turned into an LSD trip and I have to say I think it would have been a disaster if he had let it happen.
respulero 3 years ago (edited)
All the could-have-been had good carrers without those roles, many of the actual cast wouldnt have done without it. Anyway, if they had accepted the job, and they would appear in this post whith other actors (or the actual cast) as the could-have-beens, nothing would change and people would say exactly the same things "thank god, he/she was the perfect election for the role, it wouldnt be the same without him/her "
BoredDragon 3 years ago
You know, I always wondered who the ones were that were turned down...
Canadian in Cornwall 3 years ago
Tom Selleck was to play Indiana Jones from the start, but he was contracted to film Magnum P.I and couldn't get out of it, so the role went to Harrison Ford. Selleck is good, but can you imagine him as Indy? I can't.
Jane Alexander 3 years ago
I'm eternally thankful that Gregory Peck was Ahab in Moby D**k! (the good one, the '56 film) Charlton Heston? aw hell no!
brukernavn340 3 years ago
Probably one person with several users. Maybe it's one of those people that tend to impersonate BP staff? Someone having a grudge on BP perhaps?
Load More Replies...
Katherine Boag 3 years ago
Would have been nice if every photo of the actor that didnt play the part was from the same year as the photo from the film/series
SueG 3 years ago
The layout of the actors' photos throughout thus piece is inconsistent -- the could-have-beens on the left suddenly switch to the right, then back again. A bit frustrating.
Lis Daglish 3 years ago
I find all of these really interesting. You can so clearly picture how a film would be dramatically changed, an entirely different mood, with alternate casting.
Steve Barnett 3 years ago
In Reservoir Dogs the part of Mr Orange was originally offered to James Woods, but his agent didn't let him know and was subsequently fired because of this. I like Tim Roth, but I genuinely believe that James Woods would've been a better choice.
Sasy 3 years ago
It seems like Harry Potter movies would have been very different, nearly every role was potentially another actor.
The 5-star rated 5-star rating system 3 years ago
Here's an even crazier story: The Beatles were going to make a Lord of the Rings film in the mid- 1960's with *drumroll* Stanley Kubrick. The film would have featured original Beatles songs. Paul McCartney would portray Frodo Baggins, Ringo Starr as Sam Gamgee, George Harrison as Gandalf and John Lennon would appear as Gollum. Stanley Kubrick didn't like the idea and neither did J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien didn't want his work to be turned into an LSD trip and I have to say I think it would have been a disaster if he had let it happen.
respulero 3 years ago (edited)
All the could-have-been had good carrers without those roles, many of the actual cast wouldnt have done without it. Anyway, if they had accepted the job, and they would appear in this post whith other actors (or the actual cast) as the could-have-beens, nothing would change and people would say exactly the same things "thank god, he/she was the perfect election for the role, it wouldnt be the same without him/her "
BoredDragon 3 years ago
You know, I always wondered who the ones were that were turned down...
Canadian in Cornwall 3 years ago
Tom Selleck was to play Indiana Jones from the start, but he was contracted to film Magnum P.I and couldn't get out of it, so the role went to Harrison Ford. Selleck is good, but can you imagine him as Indy? I can't.
Jane Alexander 3 years ago
I'm eternally thankful that Gregory Peck was Ahab in Moby D**k! (the good one, the '56 film) Charlton Heston? aw hell no!
brukernavn340 3 years ago
Probably one person with several users. Maybe it's one of those people that tend to impersonate BP staff? Someone having a grudge on BP perhaps?
Load More Replies... Katherine Boag 3 years ago
Would have been nice if every photo of the actor that didnt play the part was from the same year as the photo from the film/series
SueG 3 years ago
The layout of the actors' photos throughout thus piece is inconsistent -- the could-have-beens on the left suddenly switch to the right, then back again. A bit frustrating.
Lis Daglish 3 years ago
I find all of these really interesting. You can so clearly picture how a film would be dramatically changed, an entirely different mood, with alternate casting.
Steve Barnett 3 years ago
In Reservoir Dogs the part of Mr Orange was originally offered to James Woods, but his agent didn't let him know and was subsequently fired because of this. I like Tim Roth, but I genuinely believe that James Woods would've been a better choice.
You May Like 30 Times People Encountered A Celebrity And It Was An Absolute Pleasure 50 Best Actors To Have Ever Graced Our Screens 34 Of The Top Actors Under 25 Who Have Already Made It Big
Mantas Kačerauskas
Linas Simonaitis
Justina Čiapaitė
Related on Bored Panda
