8 stars who were glad to miss out on Hollywood-defining roles

It can be disappointing for any actor to miss out on a role they really wanted, but we imagine it’s a whole lot worse when that role goes on to define cinema.

Plenty of stars have been open about their sadness at missing out on roles, but some have actually been open about their happiness at missing out on major roles, even ones that made Hollywood icons out of those who eventually secured them.

So from the late Sam Neill to Anne Hathaway, meet the stars who didn’t mind it when their agents told them the bad news…

Sam didn’t want to be the secret agent

Sam Neill – James Bond

The recently deceased Sam Neill had plenty of major roles during his career, famously playing Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, but when Roger Moore hung up Bond’s Walther PPK, Sam was one of the stars in the frame to be the next iteration of 007.

At the time, Sam had become a household name in the UK thanks to his role in the classic ITV thriller Reilly, Ace of Spies, which dramatised the life of spy Sidney Reilly, one of the inspirations behind Bond. The actor said that his agent “bullied” him into auditioning, and that he never wanted to be the super spy.

Appearing on Lorraine in 2023, he confessed: “I found myself auditioning for a part that I never really wanted to do because no one wants to be the James Bond that no one likes. That’s an unenviable position. And the other thing is, my friend Pierce Brosnan really wanted the part. I wanted Pierce to do it. So I did this ridiculous audition and it was excruciating.”

Naomie could have played one of Bond’s lovers

Naomie Harris – Undisclosed Bond girl

Sam wasn’t the only star to not regret landing a role in the Bond franchise. Although Naomie did play the iconic Miss Moneypenny in three of Daniel Craig’s Bond movies, the star was originally lined up to play one of his Bond girls.

Naomie told The Independent in 2022 that she never felt that she fit the traditional mould of a Bond girl, explaining: “I just feel like I don’t have the kind of assets that are normally associated with a Bond girl, and I’ve never traded on sexuality. It’s a powerful tool, right?

“As a woman, you can have it in your arsenal of weapons to get ahead in life, but it’s not one I’ve really used. So I thought, how is this going to work? Because to be a Bond girl, traditionally, was all about that allure and that sexuality, and I didn’t understand how that fitted with me.“

Could you have seen Anne as Barbie?

Anne Hathaway – Barbie

Let’s be real, it’s impossible to think of anyone other than Margot Robbie as Barbie, but The Devil Wears Prada star Anne Hathaway was among the stars considered to play the iconic doll.

Anne has spoken of how much she thought the role was tailor-made for Margot, admitting on the Happy Sad Confused podcast: “The thing that’s so exciting about what Margot [Robbie] and Greta [Gerwig]…they hit a bullseye.

“And the bullseye caused the entire world to reach this level of ecstasy. Now imagine that version — that much energy, that much anticipation, that much emotion — but it’s not the right version. So I actually think of it as a lucky thing.”

Claire was worried about the level of fame

Claire Danes – Rose DeWitt Bukater

Claire and Leonardo DiCaprio nearly ruled 90s romantic films together. The pair played the titular star-crossed lovers in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, and Claire was considered to play the role of Rose in Titanic, with Leonardo playing Jack Dawson.

However, at the time, Claire admitted that she wasn’t ready for the level of fame that appearing in the 1997 hit would have brought. Speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast, Claire revealed: “I remember after the movie came out, and he [Leonardo] just went into another stratosphere… It was a little scary. I just couldn’t do it, I didn’t want it.“

She continued: “I was really clear about it, I wasn’t conflicted. I was feeling eager to have different creative experiences and that felt like a repeat and it was going to propel me towards something that I knew I didn’t have the resources to cope with.”

Matthew’s personal views on the film turned him off the role

Matthew Modine – Maverick

Top Gun helped to launch Tom Cruise into A-list territory, with the star already having plenty of hits, but the role of the military pilot was initially offered to Full Metal Jacket’s Matthew Modine.

However, Matthew has never regretted turning down the role, believing that the film was a glorification of the military during the Cold War. When asked whether he wanted the role by Salon, he replied: “Not at all. Not for one second. Cruise said that he felt that Top Gun was a movie about individualism and personal strength. I just thought the movie was jingoistic.“

Cillian could have been the iconic superhero

Cillian Murphy – Batman

Given that Cillian knows how to play gritty characters, there’s no doubt that the Peaky Blinders star would have excelled as Batman. However, the star has no hard feelings on missing out on the role because of how Christian Bale perfectly embodied the Caped Crusader.

Speaking to GQ in 2023, the actor said: “I think it was for the best because we got Christian Bale’s performance, which is a stunning interpretation of that role. I never considered myself as the right physical specimen for Batman. To me, it was always going to be Christian Bale.”

Michael didn’ tmind turning the film down

Michael Keaton – Phil Connors

Groundhog Day was the defining comedy of the 1990s, with the term even entering the common lexicon following its release, but Bill Murray wasn’t the first choice for producers, with former Batman star Michael Keaton being offered the role.

Michael turned the role down as he didn’t fully understand the script, but the star doesn’t regret not playing the role due to how Bill Murray performed. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Michael admitted: “This guy sounds like the kind of wry, sardonic, glib young man I’ve played — and it ended up being so great. But you can’t do it better than Bill Murray did it.”

Jennifer became the face of a different young adult franchise

Jennifer Lawrence – Bella Swan

Twilight became a global franchise that turned its lead stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson into stars overnight. While many stars would love to have a franchise like that under their belts, Jennifer Lawrence has no regrets about passing on the lead role.

At the time of filming for the first film, Jennifer was 17, and when The Guardian asked her in 2012 if she was “glad” to not have played the movie character, she replied: “Oh yeah, for sure. I remember when the first movie came out, seeing Kristen Stewart on the red carpet and getting papped wherever she went.

“I had no idea Twilight would be such a big deal. For me, and assuming for her, it was just another audition. Then it turned into this whole other thing.”