
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.

Marilyn Monroe
The role: Holly Golightly (opens in new tab) in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Who *actually* played it: Audrey Hepburn

Rooney Mara
The role: Maya (opens in new tab) in Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Who *actually* played it: Jessica Chastain

Ellen DeGeneres
The role: Phoebe (opens in new tab) in Friends (1994-2004)
Who *actually* played it: Lisa Kudrow

Ryan Gosling
The role: Christian Grey (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)
Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

Tea Leoni
The role: Rachel (opens in new tab) in Friends (1994-2004)
Who *actually* played it: Jennifer Aniston

Gillian Anderson
The role: Cersei Lannister (opens in new tab) in Game of Thrones (2011-present)
Who *actually* played it: Lena Headey

Brad Pitt
The role: Jim Lovell (opens in new tab) in Apollo 13 (1995)
Who *actually* played it: Tom Hanks

Denzel Washington
The role: Detective David Mills (opens in new tab) in Se7en (1995)
Who *actually* played it: Brad Pitt

Anne Hathaway
The role: Tiffany (opens in new tab) in Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Who *actually* played it: Jennifer Lawrence

Hugh Jackman
The role: James Bond (opens in new tab) in Casino Royale (2006)
Who *actually* played it: Daniel Craig

Tom Cruise
The role: Ren McCormack (opens in new tab) in Footloose (1984)
Who *actually* played it: Kevin Bacon

Leonardo DiCaprio
The role: Dirk Diggler (opens in new tab) in Boogie Nights (1997)
Who *actually* played it: Mark Wahlberg

Will Smith
The role: Django (opens in new tab) in Django Unchained (2012)
Who *actually* played it: Jamie Foxx

Robert Pattinson
The role: Christian Grey (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)
Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

Sir Ian McKellen
The role: Dumbledore (opens in new tab) in Harry Potter (2001)
Who *actually* played it: Richard Harris

Tom Hanks
The role: Jerry Maguire (opens in new tab) in Jerry Maguire (1996)
Who *actually* played it: Tom Cruise

Angelina Jolie
The role: Alex Munday (opens in new tab) in Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Who *actually* played it: Lucy Liu

Dana Delany
The role: Carrie Bradshaw (opens in new tab) in Sex and the City (1998-2004)
Who *actually* played it: Sarah Jessica Parker

Bette Midler
The role: Sister Mary Clarence (opens in new tab) in Sister Act (1992)
Who *actually* played it: Whoopi Goldberg

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

Christina Applegate
The role: Elle Woods (opens in new tab) in Legally Blonde (2001)
Who *actually* played it: Reese Witherspoon

Charlie Hunnam
The role: Christian Grey (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)
Who *actually* played it: Jamie Dornan

Julia Roberts
The role: Leigh Anne Tuohy (opens in new tab) in The Blind Side (2009)
Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

Reese Witherspoon
The role: Sidney Prescott (opens in new tab) in Scream (1996)
Who *actually* played it: Neve Campbell

Matthew Broderick
The role: Walter White (opens in new tab) in Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Who *actually* played it: Bryan Cranston


Helen Mirren
The role: Ms. Weiss (opens in new tab) in Precious (2009)
Who *actually* played it: Mariah Carey

Lucy Hale
The role: Anastasia Steele (opens in new tab) in Fifty Shades (2015)
Who *actually* played it: Dakota Johnson

Drew Barrymore
The role: Nomi Malone (opens in new tab) in Showgirls (1995)
Who *actually* played it: Elizabeth Berkley

Katie Holmes
The role: Piper (opens in new tab) in Orange Is the New Black (2013-present)
Who *actually* played it: Taylor Schilling

John Travolta
The role: Forrest Gump (opens in new tab) in Forrest Gump (1994)
Who *actually* played it: Tom Hanks

Miles Teller
The role: Sebastian (opens in new tab) in La La Land (2016)
Who *actually* played it: Ryan Gosling

Emma Watson
The role: Mia (opens in new tab) in La La Land (2016)
Who *actually* played it: Emma Stone

Nicolas Cage
The role: Aragorn (opens in new tab) in The Lord of the Rings (2001)
Who *actually* played it: Viggo Mortensen

Anne Hathaway
The role: Alison Scott (opens in new tab) in Knocked Up (2007)
Who *actually* played it: Katherine Heigl

Sandra Bullock
The role: Maggie (opens in new tab) in Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Who *actually* played it: Hilary Swank

Angela Bassett
The role: Leticia (opens in new tab) in Monster's Ball (2002)
Who *actually* played it: Halle Berry

Gwyneth Paltrow
The role: Rose (opens in new tab) in Titanic (1997)
Who *actually* played it: Kate Winslet

Julia Roberts
The role: Margaret Tate (opens in new tab) in The Proposal (2009)
Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

Mark Wahlberg
The role: Ennis Del Mar (opens in new tab) in Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Who *actually* played it: Heath Ledger (R.I.P.)

Sarah Michelle Gellar
The role: Cher Horowitz (opens in new tab) in Clueless (1995)
Who *actually* played it: Alicia Silverstone

Paul Giamatti
The role: Michael Scott (opens in new tab) in The Office (2005-2013)
Who *actually* played it: Steve Carell

Emily Blunt
The role: Black Widow (opens in new tab) in Iron Man 2 (2010)
Who *actually* played it: Scarlett Johansson

Johnny Depp
The role: Ferris Bueller (opens in new tab) in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Who *actually* played it: Matthew Broderick

Angelina Jolie
The role: Dr. Ryan Stone (opens in new tab) in Gravity (2013)
Who *actually* played it: Sandra Bullock

Frances Bean Cobain
The role: Bella (opens in new tab) in Twilight (2008)
Who *actually* played it: Kristen Stewart

Alec Baldwin
The role: Mr. Big (opens in new tab) in Sex and the City (1998-2004)
Who *actually* played it: Chris Noth

Molly Ringwald
The role: Vivian (opens in new tab) in Pretty Woman (1990)
Who *actually* played it: Julia Roberts

Katie Holmes
The role: Buffy (opens in new tab) in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Who *actually* played it: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Michelle Pfeiffer
The role: Thelma (opens in new tab) in Thelma & Louise (1991)
Who *actually* played it: Geena Davis
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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