Not Starring: Roles Turned Down by Famous Actors
Iconic parts passed up by Whitney, Eddie Murphy and more.
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Eddie Murphy in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - The '80s were Murphy's golden years, but his first self-admitted misstep was passing on the role of Eddie Valiant in Robert Zemeckis's groundbreaking caper film. Claiming he thought the film would be a disaster, Murphy now "feels like an idiot" every time he sees it. (Photo: Evan Agostini/PictureGroup)
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Will Smith in The Matrix - The shades and trench coat made famous by Keanu Reeves were originally meant to be filled by Smith. The actor had no hard feelings, though, saying he thought Keanu was "brilliant as Neo." (Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
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Sammy Davis Jr. in Beetlejuice - This ghoulish comedy by then-relatively new director Tim Burton was intended to star his childhood hero, Sammy. But studio bosses convinced him to give the role to Michael Keaton, making it the actor's edgiest and most iconic one to date. (Photo: CBS/Landov)
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Queen Latifah in Monster's Ball - Halle Berry forgot to thank Queen Latifah — or, at least, her busy schedule — in her acceptance speech at the 2002 Oscars. The Jersey-born rapper had to drop out of the film due to scheduling conflicts, giving Berry the opportunity of a lifetime. Latifah got a second chance at an Academy Award one year later, when she got a Best Supporting Actress nod for Chicago. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
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Cuba Gooding Jr. in Amistad - Following his Best Supporting Actor win for Jerry Maguire, Gooding may have gotten too used to his famous phrase, "show me the money." The actor admits success swelled his head and he made a huge mistake turning down the lead role in Spielberg's slave epic. (Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
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Whitney Houston in A Star Is Born - After the unexpected success of The Bodyguard, studios were scrambling to be in "the Whitney Houston business." Warner Bros. fast-tracked its remake of this Barbara Streisand classic for Houston, but the project lay dormant for nearly 20 years until Beyoncé became attached late last year. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)
Photo By Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup
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Aaliyah in Honey - The role of aspiring choreographer Honey Daniels was meant to be played by Aaliyah before the singer's tragic death had producers scrambling to recast the part. It eventually became the role that put Jessica Alba on the map. (Photo: Art Walters/Globe Photos Inc)
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Halle Berry in Speed and Gigli - She dodged a bullet dropping out of Gigli, which went on to become one of history's most infamous bombs, but lost a big opportunity when she passed on box-office smash Speed, which launched Sandra Bullock's career. Do those cancel each other out? (Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
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Naomi Campbell in Leaving Las Vegas - The supermodel actually shot scenes for this gritty drama, which earned Nicolas Cage an Oscar, but her role was left on the cutting-room floor. Pity the producer who had to give her the news. (Photo: Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo:  Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images
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Sean "Diddy" Combs in Any Given Sunday - Diddy was originally approached by controversial director Oliver Stone for the role of football player Willie Beamen (later made famous by Jamie Foxx), but rumor has it he was dropped from the project because he "couldn't convincingly throw a football." Officially, the reason was "scheduling conflicts." (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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