Actors and roles they missed

Being a successful actor involves more than looking good on screen and being able to bring a script to life. Recognizing a good thing when you see one is part of the package, too.

Bad luck and poor choices are a big part of Hollywood lore. Careers have been made or broken based on an actor’s inability to look at a part and envision the possibilities, or by scheduling issues that prevented a thespian from taking on a juicy role.

Some films would have been quite different had the original choice not declined, been forced out by a prior commitment, or fallen victim to a director’s change of heart.

Of course, one performer’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. Forbes has put together a list of “10 Career-Changing Roles That Almost Weren’t.” It’s some interesting stuff, to say the least.

Here are some famous films, and the actor or actress who turned down or didn’t get the chance to shine:

1. Titanic: Gwyneth Paltrow

2. Knocked Up: Anne Hathaway

3. The Godfather: Ernest Borgnine

4. Forrest Gump: John Travolta

5. Pretty Woman: Molly Ringwald

6. The Reader: Nicole Kidman

7. The Graduate: Robert Redford

8. Brokeback Mountain: Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix

9. Casablanca: George Raft

10. Raiders of the Lost Ark: Tom Selleck

To read more about these matchups that didn’t happen, and to see a slideshow, visit Forbes.

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