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)
Rachel Epstein
By Rachel Epstein
last updated

There's nothin' like missing out on one of the highest-grossing box office hits (opens in new tab) 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.

1/50
Marilyn Monroe
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Marilyn Monroe

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

Who *actually* played it: Audrey Hepburn

2/50
Rooney Mara
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rooney Mara

The role: Maya (opens in new tab) in Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Who *actually* played it: Jessica Chastain

3/50
Ellen DeGeneres
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ellen DeGeneres

The role: Phoebe (opens in new tab) in Friends (1994-2004)

Who *actually* played it: Lisa Kudrow

4/50
Ryan Gosling
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ryan Gosling

The role: Christian Grey (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)

Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

5/50
Tea Leoni
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tea Leoni

The role: Rachel (opens in new tab) in Friends (1994-2004)

Who *actually* played it: Jennifer Aniston

6/50
Gillian Anderson
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Gillian Anderson

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

Who *actually* played it: Lena Headey

7/50
Brad Pitt
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Brad Pitt

The role: Jim Lovell (opens in new tab) in Apollo 13 (1995)

Who *actually* played it: Tom Hanks

8/50
Denzel Washington
(Image credit: Jeff Kravitz)

Denzel Washington

The role: Detective David Mills (opens in new tab) in Se7en (1995)

Who *actually* played it: Brad Pitt

9/50
Anne Hathaway
(Image credit: Vera Anderson)

Anne Hathaway

The role: Tiffany (opens in new tab) in Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Who *actually* played it: Jennifer Lawrence

10/50
Hugh Jackman
(Image credit: ROBYN BECK)

Hugh Jackman

The role: James Bond (opens in new tab) in Casino Royale (2006)

Who *actually* played it: Daniel Craig

11/50
Tom Cruise
(Image credit: Walter McBride)

Tom Cruise

The role: Ren McCormack (opens in new tab) in Footloose (1984)

Who *actually* played it: Kevin Bacon

12/50
Leonardo DiCaprio
(Image credit: SGranitz)

Leonardo DiCaprio

The role: Dirk Diggler (opens in new tab) in Boogie Nights (1997)

Who *actually* played it: Mark Wahlberg

13/50
Will Smith
(Image credit: Michael Tran)

Will Smith

The role: Django (opens in new tab) in Django Unchained (2012)

Who *actually* played it: Jamie Foxx

14/50
Robert Pattinson
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Robert Pattinson

The role: Christian Grey (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)

Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

15/50
Sir Ian McKellen
(Image credit: Bill Davila)

Sir Ian McKellen

The role: Dumbledore (opens in new tab) in Harry Potter (2001)

Who *actually* played it: Richard Harris

16/50
Tom Hanks
(Image credit: Bob Grant)

Tom Hanks

The role: Jerry Maguire (opens in new tab) in Jerry Maguire (1996)

Who *actually* played it: Tom Cruise

17/50
Angelina Jolie
(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

Angelina Jolie

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

Who *actually* played it: Lucy Liu

18/50
Dana Delany
(Image credit: Jean-Paul Aussenard)

Dana Delany

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

Who *actually* played it: Sarah Jessica Parker

19/50
Bette Midler
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Bette Midler

The role: Sister Mary Clarence (opens in new tab) in Sister Act (1992)

Who *actually* played it: Whoopi Goldberg

20/50
Emma Stone
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Emma Stone

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

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

21/50
Christina Applegate
(Image credit: Frank Trapper)

Christina Applegate

The role: Elle Woods (opens in new tab) in Legally Blonde (2001)

Who *actually* played it: Reese Witherspoon

22/50
Charlie Hunnam
(Image credit: Frederick M. Brown)

Charlie Hunnam

The role: Christian Grey (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)

Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

23/50
Julia Roberts
(Image credit: Bruce Glikas)

Julia Roberts

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

Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

24/50
Reese Witherspoon
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Reese Witherspoon

The role: Sidney Prescott (opens in new tab) in Scream (1996)

Who *actually* played it: Neve Campbell

25/50
Matthew Broderick
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Matthew Broderick

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

Who *actually* played it: Bryan Cranston

26/50
Jim Carrey
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jim Carrey

The role: Buddy (opens in new tab) in Elf (2003)

Who *actually* played it: Will Ferrell

27/50
Helen Mirren
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Helen Mirren

The role: Ms. Weiss (opens in new tab) in Precious (2009)

Who *actually* played it: Mariah Carey

28/50
Lucy Hale
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Lucy Hale

The role: Anastasia Steele (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)

Who *actually* played it: Dakota Johnson

29/50
Drew Barrymore
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Drew Barrymore

The role: Nomi Malone (opens in new tab) in Showgirls (1995)

Who *actually* played it: Elizabeth Berkley

30/50
Katie Holmes
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Katie Holmes

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

Who *actually* played it: Taylor Schilling

31/50
John Travolta
(Image credit: Getty Images)

John Travolta

The role: Forrest Gump (opens in new tab) in Forrest Gump (1994)

Who *actually* played it: Tom Hanks

32/50
Miles Teller
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Miles Teller

The role: Sebastian (opens in new tab) in La La Land (2016)

Who *actually* played it: Ryan Gosling

33/50
Emma Watson
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Emma Watson

The role: Mia (opens in new tab) in La La Land (2016)

Who *actually* played it: Emma Stone

34/50
Nicolas Cage
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Nicolas Cage

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

Who *actually* played it: Viggo Mortensen

35/50
Anne Hathaway
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anne Hathaway

The role: Alison Scott (opens in new tab) in Knocked Up (2007)

Who *actually* played it: Katherine Heigl

36/50
Sandra Bullock
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sandra Bullock

The role: Maggie (opens in new tab) in Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Who *actually* played it: Hilary Swank

37/50
Angela Bassett
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Angela Bassett

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

Who *actually* played it: Halle Berry

38/50
Gwyneth Paltrow
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Gwyneth Paltrow

The role: Rose (opens in new tab) in Titanic (1997)

Who *actually* played it: Kate Winslet

39/50
Julia Roberts
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Julia Roberts

The role: Margaret Tate (opens in new tab) in The Proposal (2009)

Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

40/50
Mark Wahlberg
(Image credit: GettyImages)

Mark Wahlberg

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

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

41/50
Sarah Michelle Gellar
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sarah Michelle Gellar

The role: Cher Horowitz (opens in new tab) in Clueless (1995)

Who *actually* played it: Alicia Silverstone

42/50
Paul Giamatti
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Paul Giamatti

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

Who *actually* played it: Steve Carell

43/50
Emily Blunt
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Emily Blunt

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

Who *actually* played it: Scarlett Johansson

44/50
Johnny Depp
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Johnny Depp

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

Who *actually* played it: Matthew Broderick

45/50
Angelina Jolie
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Angelina Jolie

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

Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

46/50
Frances Bean Cobain
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Frances Bean Cobain

The role: Bella (opens in new tab) in Twilight (2008)

Who *actually* played it: Kristen Stewart

47/50
Alec Baldwin
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Alec Baldwin

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

Who *actually* played it: Chris Noth

48/50
Molly Ringwald
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Molly Ringwald

The role: Vivian (opens in new tab) in Pretty Woman (1990)

Who *actually* played it: Julia Roberts

49/50
Katie Holmes
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Katie Holmes

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

Who *actually* played it: Sarah Michelle Gellar

50/50
Michelle Pfeiffer
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Michelle Pfeiffer

The role: Thelma (opens in new tab) 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. 

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