Have you ever been watching a movie and thought, wow they could have cast that better? Well maybe the person they wanted turned down the role, maybe they had to drop out, or maybe they actually beat out countless others for the role. I get it though. Sometimes it’s hard not to wish that someone else had been cast, but sometimes we need to count our blessings because…
1. Christian Bale was almost Jack in Titanic.
It’s hard to believe that the man we know as Batman could have played the iconic role of Jack Dawson. Imagining anyone beside Leonard DiCaprio in the charming role is almost impossible. Director James Cameron turned down Bale though because he didn’t want two British actors playing the lead American roles (Kate Winslet was already decided as Rose).
If that’s not mind boggling enough, James Sisto, the actor who plays Elton in Clueless, actually screen tested with Kate Winslet. See if you can make it through the entire video. Whether you’re a Leo fan or not, it’s pretty awkward.
2. Anne Hathaway was almost Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook.
The role that would go on to give Jennifer Lawrence her Best Actress Academy Award, almost went to Hathaway. Actually, film producer Harvey Weinstein revealed that Hathaway and Mark Wahlberg were going to play the lead roles, but Hathaway left because of creative differences with director David O. Russell. Luckily for Hathaway, she went on to win a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in Les Miserables the same year.
3. Tom Hiddleston was almost Thor in Thor.
Though Hiddleston lost out on the role of Thor, director Kenneth Branagh correctly identified him as a perfect antagonist. Hiddleston went on to gain praise for his role from both fans and critics. He even went on to reprise his role in both The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World, with critics saying, “easily giving the finest performance in Hollywood’s entire Marvel Universe, Hiddleston lends merit to this brand that can’t be overstated, as Loki’s cheeky deception is laced with the tear-inducing pain of a bastard son.” And why be the hero anyway, when you can be the scene stealing villain?
4. Jennifer Lawrence was almost Bella in Twilight.
The successful vampire franchise led by Kristen Stewart could have featured a then 17 year old Lawrence. Lawrence said, “I love the ‘Twilight’ books. I’m not even ashamed to say it.” But in taking on the role she wouldn’t have been able to star in Winter’s Bone and earn her first Oscar nomination. More importantly, whether or not you liked Stewart in the role, had Lawrence gotten it the entire Hunger Games series would be drastically different. I think we would all rather see Lawrence firing off arrows instead of lusting after Edward Cullen.
5. Tom Cruise was almost Salt in Salt.
The original idea of Salt was an action spy film featuring Tom Cruise as Edward A. Salt. When he declined the role due to prior commitments, instead of finding another male lead, Columbia Pictures changed the role to Evelyn Salt and cast Angelina Jolie. Though not universally loved as a whole, critics appreciated Jolie’s performance. Roger Ebert gave the film 4/4 stars and CinemaBlend pointed out that “it was Jolie’s influence that kept the character from ever abusing her sex appeal, and allowed her to become increasingly dirty and disheveled as the movie reaches its action climax.” Hopefully Jolie’s success will encourage more studios to continue to cast female leads in action movies.