Actors who turned down cool roles because they didn't understand the script (7 photos)

All the films in our selection are already real classics. The actors who played in them literally hit the jackpot. Agree, it is difficult to imagine another actor in the role of Gandalf. And if Will Smith played Neo in The Matrix... It would be a completely different movie! Yes, completely different actors could have played in our favorite films, but they refused the roles. And all because they didn't like the script. They literally didn’t understand what was funny and what they wanted from them.

Will Smith didn't understand The Matrix





A classic story on this topic. Will Smith managed to choose the movie "Wild Wild West" instead of starring in "The Matrix". The Wachowskis tried to lure the actor into the project by relying on a verbal explanation of time dilation technology, but Smith was not impressed. Later, he honestly admitted that at that point in his career “he was not yet a smart actor,” and he understands that he clearly squandered one of the most important projects of his life.

Al Pacino didn't understand Star Wars



In the second half of the 1970s, a big movie star received an offer to play a certain Han Solo in a certain space saga. Al Pacino honestly admitted:

They offered me a lot of money. I read this. I did not get anything. That's why I said I couldn't participate in this.

Halle Berry didn't understand "Speed"





The actress was given a still raw version of the script, but overall she didn’t quite understand the beauty of the fact that she would just have to drive a bus.

I'll admit, I just don't get it when I read action scenes like "A bus going 100 miles an hour down an overpass"... In one version of the script that was sent to me, the bus never left Dodgers Stadium, but just continued drive through the parking lot!

Sean Connery didn't understand The Lord of the Rings



The legendary British actor turned down Peter Jackson's offer to play Gandalf because he had not read Tolkien's book and simply did not understand anything after reading the script. Connery was the number one contender for this role, and the refusal was a sincere decision of the actor, since he was offered considerable money + a percentage of the box office receipts, which, as we now know, turned out to be huge.

Michael Keaton didn't understand Groundhog Day



If in the previous paragraphs it is difficult to imagine an alternative scenario, then Keaton in “Groundhog Day” is much easier to see. But he turned down the offer, confused about what was going on in the plot. Afterwards the actor said:

This guy is like that ironic, sarcastic, chatty young man I've played before, and it could end up being great. But you can't do it better than Bill Murray did.

Eddie Murphy didn't understand Who Framed Roger Rabbit



Eddie Murphy was one of the contenders for the lead role, but considered the idea a failure because he did not understand the tricks of mixing animation and real actors. He later admitted that his skepticism was wrong, since technically the film turned out to be an absolutely breakthrough.

Gary Odman didn't understand Edward Scissorhands



The extraordinary Briton definitely could have suited this role, but at that moment even he was not ready for what Tim Burton had in mind.

I didn't meet with Tim Burton because I didn't understand the script. I read it and thought, "There's a castle on a hill, there's a guy with scissors, there's a lady from Avon... I don't understand."

As the actor said, a couple of years after the film’s release, he finally watched it and understood everything perfectly.