Landing a role in a career defining movie is the stuff that actors dream of. Regardless of if you’re just starting out in the biz or if you’re a Hollywood veteran, the right role can send an actor’s career skyrocketing to new heights.

As an audience, we’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to characters that we truly love. Of course, with the acting industry being one of the most competitive in the world, it’s only right that several actors would be considered for – or even offered – the same part.

When the character becomes an iconic part of movie or TV history, it’s difficult to imagine another person playing that role. Actually, it’s almost impossible.

Have you ever wondered how different your favourite movie would be if the title character was played by John Travolta instead of Tom Hanks?

It must surprise you to see which actors passed over a chance for a role that could have made them millions. In some cases, their career faired just fine anyway. In others, you can’t help but wonder where they would be now if they’d taken the opportunity – and if they regret it.

Grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and allow me to blow your mind. Welcome to 25 Celebrities That Passed Up On Iconic Roles.

25. DANA DELANY – CARRIE BRADSHAW, SEX AND THE CITY

The 61-year-old actress has had some great roles during her career. She had a memorable run from 2007-2010 as Katherine Mayfair on the popular ABC series Desperate Housewives, as well as a slew of other successful TV shows and movies. But, did you know that the iconic role of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and The City was initially offered to Delany? It might seem nuts to think of anyone other than Sarah Jessica Parker playing the fashion loving journalist, but Delany was creator Darren Star’s first choice. As the show was focused on sex and Delany had already had similar roles, she passed it up for fear of being pigeon holed in the future.

24. JACK NICHOLSON – MICHEAL CORLEONE, THE GODFATHER

One of the most renowned actors of all time, Nicholson has had a plethora of glittering roles over the course of his decades long career. The role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather was offered to a slew of stars, including Jack Nicholson. Paramount was unsure of how the film would perform at the box office, and thought it would be better if they had a well-known actor on board. Nicholson declined, and the role went to budding actor, Al Pacino. The role was Pacino’s big break and his career sky rocketed after that.

23. JOHN TRAVOLTA – FORREST GUMP

Can you imagine Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta in the role of lovable Forrest Gump? Me neither, but it almost happened. The film was a blockbuster hit and Hanks walked home with an Oscar for his efforts. Travolta was apparently heard saying that passing on the role was a huge mistake and regrets his decision. However, I think he did us all a favor. It’s impossible to think of anyone else other than Tom Hanks playing Forrest Gump now. Truly a performance of a life time – and a character that is so iconic, he’s still quoted 23 years on.

22. JIM CARREY – EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

Jim Carrey has made a living out of being an on-screen goof. With roles like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask under his belt, it might seem odd that he would be considered for the melancholy role of Edward Scissorhands. However, as he was fast becoming a household name, Carrey, as well stars Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise was considered. Creators were worried that Carrey may put too much of a comedic spin on the role for the hairdressing oddball. Johnny Depp was chosen instead. If Carrey had some more dramatic movie experience at that point, the film may have been very different to the one we know today.

21. MATTHEW BRODERICK – WALTER WHITE, BREAKING BAD

Now, this one is painful. Matthew Broderick was a staple in the 80’s/90’s movie scene, although his career has calmed down considerably since. Rumor has it that Broderick passed on up the iconic role of Walter White, in AMC’s super-hit series Breaking Bad. Can you imagine Broderick as meth drug lord White? I can’t. The role went to Bryan Cranston, known best for his role in comedy series, Malcolm in the Middle. Cranston gained critical acclaim for his portrayal of White, and secured himself as one of America’s best loved actors. Broderick is probably kicking himself for turning that one down.

20. HUGH JACKMAN – JAMES BOND, CASINO ROYALE

Everyone’s favorite X-men could have been everyone’s favorite James Bond. When the franchise had a revamp for Casino Royale, Jackman was initially offered the role of the gun toting secret agent but passed it over for fear of being stereotyped into action roles. Since turning it down, Jackman has had several roles and gone on to play brooding Jean Valjean in the movie adaptation of Les Miserables. When asked if he regretted turning the role of Bond down, he said no, but that he wouldn’t rule it out again. The role went to Daniel Craig. Incidentally, Jackman also turned down the role of lawyer Billy Flynn, in musical movie Chicago as he felt he was too young at the time. The role went to Richard Gere, who did a great job.

19. PAMELA ANDERSON – DANA SCULLY, THE X FILES

This one may blow your mind. Instead of redhead Gillian Anderson, can you imagine busty blonde Pamela Anderson playing the role of serious detective Dana Scully in The X Files? Me neither. According to Anderson, ‘Pamela was somebody who was more familiar to them in terms of what was on TV at the time. They were looking for someone bustier, taller, leggier than me.’ Although Pamela was never approached for the role, she was considered by the creators. Something tells me that the show may not have been quite the cult hit without Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully.

18. WILL SMITH – NEO, THE MATRIX

Can you image how vastly different The Wachowski’s movie, The Matrix would be without the smouldering confusion that is Keanu Reeves? Talking about the movie, Smith said, ‘In the pitch, I just didn’t see it. I watched Keanu’s performance – and very rarely do I say this – but I would have messed it up. I would have absolutely messed up The Matrix. At that point I wasn’t smart enough as an actor to let the movie be. Whereas Keanu [Reeves] was smart enough to just let it be. Let the movie and the director tell the story, and don’t try and perform every moment.’ Incidentally, Smith also turned down the role of Django in Django Unchained.

17. CHARLIE HUNNAM – CHRISTIAN GREY, 50 SHADES OF GREY

Actor Garrett Hedlund, star of Pan and Unbroken, turned down the role of Christian Grey in the movie adaptation of the hugely popular and sexy novel by E.L James, 50 Shades of Grey. It was a bit of trial for the casting directors since once Hedlund dropped out, they moved on to hunky English born star Charlie Hunnam (think Jax, Sons of Anarchy). Hunnam then pulled out due to scheduling conflicts, although it wasn’t a decision he made lightly. Hunnam had committed to Crimson Peak months prior, and made the difficult choice to drop out of 50 Shades. Hunnam said of the situation, ‘It was the worst professional experience of my life. It was heart-breaking.’

16. TOM HANKS – JERRY MAGUIRE

Legendary actor Tom Hanks was busy directing his own film when he was offered the role of slick sports agent, Jerry Maguire, in the 1996 drama written by Cameron Crowe. Crowe reportedly wrote the flick with Hanks in mind, so was disappointed that Hanks couldn’t commit. Of course, Tom Cruise took the iconic role and did a perfect job. The movie is a staple of 90’s film. Even Hanks approves of Cruises performance, stating that ‘I don’t think anybody could look at that now and say, ‘That’s not perfect.’ The movie was critically acclaimed, and grossed over $273,000,000 dollars. That’s impressive.

15. LEONARDO DICAPRIO – PATRICK BATEMAN, AMERICAN PSYCHO

The movie adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel, American Psycho is centered around suave businessman Patrick Bateman. Several high-profile actors were interested in the role, including Ed Norton, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Ewan McGregor. The production company publicly announced Dicaprio as the lead, although Leo dropped out after his management team were worried that it would alienate his fanbase, who were at that time used to seeing him play clean-cut roles like Jack Dawson in Titanic, and Romeo in Romeo + Juliet. Of course, the role went to the relatively unknown Christian Bale. The role took his career to new heights and gave us a performance that’s difficult to forget.

14. REESE WITHERSPOON – SIDNEY PRESCOTT, SCREAM

Are you so shocked you could…scream? Me too, but it’s true. Although the reason isn’t very clear, Witherspoon passed up on the lead character in the 90’s horror franchise, Scream. The role of Sidney Prescott went to Neve Campbell. It’s probably best, because as much as we love Reese, she is the queen of portraying roles like Elle in Legally Blonde. That’s not to say that Witherspoon hasn’t ventured into dramatic acting. She played a grieving mother in the 2013 movie based on a real story, The Devil’s Knot. There’s more to Reese than meets the eye – she’s more versatile than people realize, as demonstrated on her latest project, Big Little Lies.

13. SEAN CONNERY – GANDALF, THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Sir Ian Mckellen did an outstanding job of bringing one of the greatest literary characters to life in his role as Gandalf, the pipe smoking, wise wizard. Peter Jackson initially wanted a very different actor to take on the challenge, Sean Connery. Connery was quoted as saying that he just ‘didn’t get fantasy.’ He turned the role down, but Mckellen garnered critical praise and a few awards for his participation in the trilogy. Gandalf was even crowned the 28^th greatest movie character of all time by Empire Magazine. Do you think Connery could have done a better job? Let us know in the comments.

12. HENRY WINKLER – DANNY ZUKO, GREASE

That’s right, everyone’s favorite mechanic, The Fonz, was approached to play the leather wearing leader of the T-Birds, Danny Zuko. Henry Winkler politely declined the offer and instead, it went to John Travolta. Thank goodness it did, because It would have been an utter travesty for us to miss out on that glass breaking note in Summer Nights. Danny, along with the other characters, remain close to the heart of American cinema. The movie earned an astounding $694,589,888, cementing its place in silver screen history – and giving us Halloween costume ideas that spanned the decades. Tell me more, tell me more!

11. MICHELLE PFEIFFER – CLARICE STERLING, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Before Jodi Foster, the central character of police officer Clarice Sterling in Jonathan Demme’s Silence Of The Lambs was offered to Michelle Pfeiffer. Unfortunately for Demme, it wasn’t Michelle’s cup of tea and she turned the role down, citing that it was too disturbing for her to be involved in. Hats off to Foster though, who attacked the role with tenacity. It takes a strong actor to work alongside Anthony Hopkins and she did it justice. As reward, Foster picked up an Academy Award for Best Actress. Pfieffer has tried her hand at horror, with What Lies Beneath, a movie that was a sleepover staple in my early teens.

10. JEREMY IRONS – HANNIBAL LECTER, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

British star Jeremy Irons was initially offered the role of cannibalistic genius and maniac, Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs. Similarly to Michelle, Irons wasn’t sure that he was comfortable with the unsettling content of the film and script. He passed it over – and lucky for us, it went to fellow Brit Anthony Hopkins, giving him a career defining moment. Needless to say, the 1991 movie caught public curiosity and became the fourth highest-grossing release of the year. Critics were slow to catch on the movie, but they cleaned up at the Academy Awards, scooping five awards including best screenplay.

9. TOM SELLECK – INDIANA JONES

Everyone’s favorite mustache man, Tom Selleck, was picked to play daring adventurer Indiana Jones in the hugely popular Indiana Jones franchise. Selleck was eager to play the part, but he was restricted due to another project with Universal Studios. Both director Steven Spielberg and creator George Lucas were desperate for Selleck to get on board and tried tirelessly to strike a deal with Universal. When that didn’t work out, the role went to Harrison Ford instead. Selleck definitely missed out on a huge money making opportunity, considering the film took almost $2,000,000,000. That’s a hell of a lot of zeros.

8. JAKE GYLLENHAAL – JAKE SULLY, AVATAR

With the second Avatar currently in production, it’s safe to say that James Cameron’s CGI movie was a huge success. Not only did it bring back the trend of 3D movies with a bang, it changed the game. The magical wonderland of Pandora was a hit. Donnie Darko star Jake Gyllenhaal was pegged to pay the lead role of Jake Sully. Studio chiefs at Fox wanted a bit of reassurance for the amount the production was costing, so initially thought of Gyllenhaal and even Matt Damon to bring in ticket sales. Director Cameron however, had his heart set on Australian actor Sam Worthington. The role was a breakthrough for Worthington and grossed $3.0 billion worldwide. Wow.

7. MEL GIBSON – BRUCE WAYNE, BATMAN

When word first surfaced that master of macabre Tim Burton was turning his hand to Batman in 1989, there were a few skeptics that didn’t see how it would work. Among those was Mel Gibson, who was approached to play the role of the brooding bat. Convinced that it would be a huge box office flop, Mel declined. Michael Keaton went on to play Batman in both Batman and Batman Returns. Both movies were very successful at the box office, with the latter taking a huge $45 million on its opening weekend in 1992. Safe to say that turning the role down didn’t damage Gibson’s career, although he’s been pretty quiet lately.

6. EMMA BROWNING – BELLA SWAN, TWILIGHT

Australian actress Emma Browning has tended to prefer a good horror flick or independent drama over big Hollywood blockbusters (although she does have a couple of those under her belt). Writer of The Twilight Saga, Stephanie Meyer, was quoted as saying she always had Emma Browning in mind for the role of Bella Swan. Browning was approached by filmmakers but she turned it down. In a later interview, she said ‘The author at one point stated that I would be her ideal Bella, but I chose not to audition because I was at a point in my career where I wasn’t sure I wanted to work.’ The role went to Kristen Stewart and the success of the teen vampire romance catapulted Stewart into the spotlight, where she has remained ever since. Would Browning have been as successful?

5. BRUCE WILLIS – SAM WHEAT, GHOST

At the time of filming, Bruce Willis was married to lead lady, Demi Moore. The opportunity came up for him to play the role of husband turned ghost, Sam, in the 1990 romance film. However, Willis turned it down and the part went to the late, great Patrick Swayze. Thank you Bruce, for making way for a topless Patrick Swayze to grace our screens and giving us one of the most iconic (and parodied) romantic scenes of all time. Swayze acted alongside Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg and Swayze made a comedic duo, and the film was well received at the box office.

4. CHRISTOPHER WALKEN – HAN SOLO, STAR WARS

Can you imagine Christopher Walken and his distinctive voice playing the role of nerf herder, Han Solo? Me neither. Although it’s hard to imagine, Lucas originally wanted Walken. When Harrison Ford was suggested to play the role, Lucas initially dismissed the idea. He wasn’t keen on reusing Ford again as he had used him in a previous film, American Graffiti. I don’t need to tell you how successful Star Wars was and continues to be – it’s interstellar. Lucas also went on to use Ford for the Indiana Jones franchise. Something tells me it would have been a very different type of movie with Walken on board.

3. MOLLY RINGWALD – VIVIAN, PRETTY WOMAN

Molly Ringwald was hot property in the 80’s and 90’s, starring in a slew of hit movies such as The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink. Ringwald was offered the role of sassy prostitute Vivian Ward in the 1990 romantic comedy. Rather than take the role, Ringwald retreated from the spotlight and moved to France. The role went to Julia Roberts instead. The movie was successful thanks to the chemistry between Roberts and Richard Gere. Roberts was even nominated for Best Actress. Ringwald has remained pretty silent, although she recently appeared in the Netflix teen drama Riverdale for a short spell.

2. TOM CRUISE – REN MCCORMACK, FOOTLOOSE

Even reading the word Footloose gets me singing the soundtrack. The 1984 movie inspired dancers the world over. Tom Cruise was the first choice to play the lead character, Ren McCormack. Producers saw his funky boogie in his earlier movie Risky Business and loved it. Cruise was interested, but unfortunately couldn’t make it work as it conflicted with filming for All the Right Moves. The role went to Kevin Bacon, who rocked his way through the movie in some of the most iconic dance scenes known to man. The movie was a roaring success and continues to be influential to movies such as Step Up.

1. JOHNNY DEPP – FERRIS BUELLER, FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF

Just like so many others before him in this list, poor Johnny Depp lost out on the 1986 comedy, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The role went to Matthew Broderick, and was arguably one of his best performances. Knowing the character as we do now, can you imagine Depp playing the role? As a phenomenal character actor, Depp would have undoubtedly made a success out of the movie in his own way. However, Broderick played the part perfectly and helped create a significant movie that is still loved 31 years on (Yes, you read that right. 31 years, that’s scary right?)

Sources: www.variety.com, www.stylecaster.com, www.list25.com, www.hollywood.com