50 Celebrities Who Turned Down Iconic Roles

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

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
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Marilyn Monroe

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

Who *actually* played it: Audrey Hepburn

Rooney Mara
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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

Rachel Epstein
Rachel Epstein

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.