7 Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Roles

Al Pacino as Han Solo

In the 1970s, Al Pacino was fresh off playing iconic roles in The Godfather, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon when he was offered the role of Han Solo in Star Wars. In his 2013 one-man show An Evening With Pacino, he claimed the role was “mine for the taking,” but said it wasn’t right for him because he didn’t understand the script.

Pacino went so far as to consult his friend, mentor, and fellow actor Charlie Laughton, but Laughton couldn’t make sense of the script either, so Pacino declined the part — but not before he was offered a hefty paycheck, which also couldn’t sway him. During a 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pacino reaffirmed that decision, stating, “I can’t play something if I don’t speak the language.” 

Instead, of course, the part went to Harrison Ford, who was initially only brought in as a helping hand to feed lines to other actors during auditions. However, director George Lucas ultimately realized that Ford was right for the part and offered him the gig.

Jodie Foster as Princess Leia

While we’re on the topic of Star Wars, another future Oscar-winning actor turned down an equally iconic character from that famous film. A 13-year-old Jodie Foster was asked to play Princess Leia before the role ultimately went to 19-year-old Carrie Fisher.

In a 2024 interview with Jimmy Fallon, Foster said, “They were going for a younger Princess Leia but I had a conflict. I was doing a Disney movie and I just didn’t want to pull out.” In an interview with Irish talk show host Graham Norton, Foster said she went so far as to do a screen test for Leia, but in the end, she didn’t want to breach her existing contract.

Sean Connery as Gandalf

In the process of casting the Lord of the Rings trilogy, director Peter Jackson offered the role of Gandalf to Sean Connery. The offer included a $30 million salary for the star plus 15% of box office earnings. (Given that the trilogy earned nearly $3 billion worldwide, that 15% would’ve worked out to a pretty penny.)

But during an interview with The New Zealand Herald, Connery said part of the reason he turned down the role was that it didn’t resonate with him. “I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it,” said Connery. As for Jackson, he was pleased that the part of Gandalf ultimately went to Ian McKellen. He stated in an Empire interview, “I just can’t imagine Sean Connery being as supportive as Ian McKellen was, and being as willing to do whatever we wanted as Ian was, and being as tolerant as Ian was.”

Marilyn Monroe as Holly Golightly

It’s difficult to imagine anyone but Audrey Hepburn playing Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but Truman Capote — the author of the film’s source material — originally wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the character. Screenwriter George Axelrod was even reportedly instructed to tailor the part to Monroe in his writing in the hopes she’d ultimately accept.

But as Hollywood historian Sam Wasson told ABC News, “Marilyn didn’t take the part in part because Paula Strasberg, her advisor and acting coach, said she should not be playing a lady of the evening.” Capote still felt betrayed that the part went to Hepburn. According to Vogue, he lamented the inevitable decision to offer the role to someone else, saying, “Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey.”

Will Smith as Neo 

In 1999, The Matrix helped redefine the sci-fi genre, and Keanu Reeves’ portrayal of Neo Anderson played no small part in that. But the role wasn’t meant for Reeves at first; it was originally written for and offered to Will Smith. 

In a self-published video from 2019, Smith said he turned it down due to an underwhelming high-concept pitch about the movie by the Wachowskis, who created The Matrix. Instead, Smith opted to do the film Wild Wild West, which is widely regarded as a cinematic flop. Had Smith chosen to do The Matrix, he may have starred alongside Val Kilmer, who was intended to play the role of Morpheus before Laurence Fishburne.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Clarice Starling

Jodie Foster may have turned down Princess Leia, but she was wise to accept the Oscar-winning role of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. Yet Foster was not the first choice to play Starling — the part was originally offered to Michelle Pfeiffer.

In a 2021 interview with The New Yorker, Pfeiffer stood firm in her decision, explaining, “I was trepidatious. There was such evil in that film … I was uncomfortable with the ending. I didn’t want to put that out into the world.” 

She did concede, however, that her one regret in turning down the part was being unable to reprise working with director Jonathan Demme, who she collaborated with on 1988’s Married to the Mob.

John Travolta as Forrest Gump

Two of the 1994’s biggest blockbusters were Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction, and actor John Travolta has a connection to both. The Grease star was offered the role of Forrest Gump but turned it down to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction as Vincent Vega.

Needless to say, this decision ultimately worked out for everyone. Travolta’s appearance in Pulp Fiction helped revitalize his career, earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He lost that award to Tom Hanks, who was cast as Forrest Gump in Travolta’s stead. 

Nevertheless, in a 2007 interview with MTV, Travolta was asked if he regretted passing on the role of Forrest Gump, replying, “If I didn’t do something Tom Hanks did, then I did something else that was equally interesting or fun.” He added, “I feel good about some I gave up because other careers were created,” implying that he was content in retrospect, considering the subsequent success of both his and Tom Hanks’s careers.