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    1. Celebrity

    50 Celebrities Who Turned Down Iconic Roles

    You'll never guess who almost played Rose in 'Titanic'...😳

    Rachel Epstein's avatar
    By Rachel Epstein
    Published 3 November 2017 In Features

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    Kate Winslet, Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Roberts
    (Image credit: 20th Century Fox; Getty)
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    There's nothin' like missing out on one of the highest-grossing box office hits to make you regret that role you didn't take (we're lookin' at you, Gwyneth Paltrow). Coulda, shoulda, woulda, are we right? Ahead, 50 celebs who skipped out on iconic TV and movie roles.

    Marilyn Monroe
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Marilyn Monroe

    The role: Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

    Who *actually* played it: Audrey Hepburn

    Rooney Mara
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Rooney Mara

    The role: Maya in Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

    Who *actually* played it: Jessica Chastain

    Ellen DeGeneres
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Ellen DeGeneres

    The role: Phoebe in Friends (1994-2004)

    Who *actually* played it: Lisa Kudrow

    Ryan Gosling
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Ryan Gosling

    The role: Christian Grey in Fifty Shades (2015)

    Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

    Tea Leoni
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Tea Leoni

    The role: Rachel in Friends (1994-2004)

    Who *actually* played it: Jennifer Aniston

    Gillian Anderson
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Gillian Anderson

    The role: Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones (2011-present)

    Who *actually* played it: Lena Headey

    Brad Pitt
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Brad Pitt

    The role: Jim Lovell in Apollo 13 (1995)

    Who *actually* played it: Tom Hanks

    Denzel Washington
    (Image credit: Jeff Kravitz)

    Denzel Washington

    The role: Detective David Mills in Se7en (1995)

    Who *actually* played it: Brad Pitt

    Anne Hathaway
    (Image credit: Vera Anderson)

    Anne Hathaway

    The role: Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

    Who *actually* played it: Jennifer Lawrence

    Hugh Jackman
    (Image credit: ROBYN BECK)

    Hugh Jackman

    The role: James Bond in Casino Royale (2006)

    Who *actually* played it: Daniel Craig

    Tom Cruise
    (Image credit: Walter McBride)

    Tom Cruise

    The role: Ren McCormack in Footloose (1984)

    Who *actually* played it: Kevin Bacon

    Leonardo DiCaprio
    (Image credit: SGranitz)

    Leonardo DiCaprio

    The role: Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights (1997)

    Who *actually* played it: Mark Wahlberg

    Will Smith
    (Image credit: Michael Tran)

    Will Smith

    The role: Django in Django Unchained (2012)

    Who *actually* played it: Jamie Foxx

    Robert Pattinson
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Robert Pattinson

    The role: Christian Grey in Fifty Shades (2015)

    Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

    Sir Ian McKellen
    (Image credit: Bill Davila)

    Sir Ian McKellen

    The role: Dumbledore in Harry Potter (2001)

    Who *actually* played it: Richard Harris

    Tom Hanks
    (Image credit: Bob Grant)

    Tom Hanks

    The role: Jerry Maguire in Jerry Maguire (1996)

    Who *actually* played it: Tom Cruise

    Angelina Jolie
    (Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

    Angelina Jolie

    The role: Alex Munday in Charlie’s Angels (2000)

    Who *actually* played it: Lucy Liu

    Dana Delany
    (Image credit: Jean-Paul Aussenard)

    Dana Delany

    The role: Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City (1998-2004)

    Who *actually* played it: Sarah Jessica Parker

    Bette Midler
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Bette Midler

    The role: Sister Mary Clarence in Sister Act (1992)

    Who *actually* played it: Whoopi Goldberg

    Emma Stone
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Emma Stone

    The role: One of the women in Ghostbusters (2016)

    Who *actually* played it: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones

    Christina Applegate
    (Image credit: Frank Trapper)

    Christina Applegate

    The role: Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (2001)

    Who *actually* played it: Reese Witherspoon

    Charlie Hunnam
    (Image credit: Frederick M. Brown)

    Charlie Hunnam

    The role: Christian Grey in Fifty Shades (2015)

    Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

    Julia Roberts
    (Image credit: Bruce Glikas)

    Julia Roberts

    The role: Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009)

    Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

    Reese Witherspoon
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Reese Witherspoon

    The role: Sidney Prescott in Scream (1996)

    Who *actually* played it: Neve Campbell

    Matthew Broderick
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Matthew Broderick

    The role: Walter White in Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

    Who *actually* played it: Bryan Cranston

    Jim Carrey
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jim Carrey

    The role: Buddy in Elf (2003)

    Who *actually* played it: Will Ferrell

    Helen Mirren
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Helen Mirren

    The role: Ms. Weiss in Precious (2009)

    Who *actually* played it: Mariah Carey

    Lucy Hale
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Lucy Hale

    The role: Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades (2015)

    Who *actually* played it: Dakota Johnson

    Drew Barrymore
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Drew Barrymore

    The role: Nomi Malone in Showgirls (1995)

    Who *actually* played it: Elizabeth Berkley

    Katie Holmes
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Katie Holmes

    The role: Piper in Orange Is the New Black (2013-present)

    Who *actually* played it: Taylor Schilling

    John Travolta
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    John Travolta

    The role: Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)

    Who *actually* played it: Tom Hanks

    Miles Teller
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Miles Teller

    The role: Sebastian in La La Land (2016)

    Who *actually* played it: Ryan Gosling

    Emma Watson
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Emma Watson

    The role: Mia in La La Land (2016)

    Who *actually* played it: Emma Stone

    Nicolas Cage
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Nicolas Cage

    The role: Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings (2001)

    Who *actually* played it: Viggo Mortensen

    Anne Hathaway
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Anne Hathaway

    The role: Alison Scott in Knocked Up (2007)

    Who *actually* played it: Katherine Heigl

    Sandra Bullock
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Sandra Bullock

    The role: Maggie in Million Dollar Baby (2004)

    Who *actually* played it: Hilary Swank

    Angela Bassett
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Angela Bassett

    The role: Leticia in Monster's Ball (2002)

    Who *actually* played it: Halle Berry

    Gwyneth Paltrow
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Gwyneth Paltrow

    The role: Rose in Titanic (1997)

    Who *actually* played it: Kate Winslet

    Julia Roberts
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Julia Roberts

    The role: Margaret Tate in The Proposal (2009)

    Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

    Mark Wahlberg
    (Image credit: GettyImages)

    Mark Wahlberg

    The role: Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain (2005)

    Who *actually* played it: Heath Ledger (R.I.P.)

    Sarah Michelle Gellar
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Sarah Michelle Gellar

    The role: Cher Horowitz in Clueless (1995)

    Who *actually* played it: Alicia Silverstone

    Paul Giamatti
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Paul Giamatti

    The role: Michael Scott in The Office (2005-2013)

    Who *actually* played it: Steve Carell

    Emily Blunt
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Emily Blunt

    The role: Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010)

    Who *actually* played it: Scarlett Johansson

    Johnny Depp
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Johnny Depp

    The role: Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

    Who *actually* played it: Matthew Broderick

    Angelina Jolie
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Angelina Jolie

    The role: Dr. Ryan Stone in Gravity (2013)

    Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

    Frances Bean Cobain
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Frances Bean Cobain

    The role: Bella in Twilight (2008)

    Who *actually* played it: Kristen Stewart

    Alec Baldwin
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Alec Baldwin

    The role: Mr. Big in Sex and the City (1998-2004)

    Who *actually* played it: Chris Noth

    Molly Ringwald
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Molly Ringwald

    The role: Vivian in Pretty Woman (1990)

    Who *actually* played it: Julia Roberts

    Katie Holmes
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Katie Holmes

    The role: Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

    Who *actually* played it: Sarah Michelle Gellar

    Michelle Pfeiffer
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Michelle Pfeiffer

    The role: Thelma in Thelma & Louise (1991)

    Who *actually* played it: Geena Davis

    Marie Claire Newsletter

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    Rachel Epstein
    Rachel Epstein
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    Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop. 

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