When the new Bond movie comes out, I tear my hair out: How actors turned down roles that could have changed their careers (7 photos)

Did you know that Sean Connery was considered for the role of Gandalf, and Tim Roth was originally cast as Professor Snape?





Rod Taylor turned down Bond



Rod Taylor in "The Birds"

Australian actor Rod Taylor received a tempting offer from Bond producers when he was just beginning to conquer Hollywood in the early 1960s. He was offered the role of Agent 007 in Dr. No, the first film in the spy franchise. Taylor turned it down almost immediately, believing that as a serious actor, he shouldn't waste his time on pulp fiction characters. Taylor later described his decision in an interview:

Every time a new Bond film becomes a box office hit, I tear my hair out.

Actor Patrick McGoohan also turned down the role of Bond, but offered the producers another option: a fellow theatrical actor who had played McGoohan's roles in the supporting cast. It was Sean Connery.

Sean Connery turned down Morpheus and Gandalf





After the success of "The Lord of the Rings," Connery decided to take on a major Hollywood project and was disappointed. Filming "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" proved a real challenge for him. After the film's failure, Sir Connery retired.

After the success of "The Lord of the Rings," Connery decided to take on a major Hollywood project and was disappointed. Filming "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was a real challenge for him. After the film's failure, Sir Connery retired.

Sean Connery also turned down several major projects. For example, he turned down the role of Morpheus in "The Matrix" because he didn't understand the script.

"The Lord of the Rings" also lost its Scottish superstar. However, the producers showed unprecedented generosity to get Sean Connery to accept the role of Gandalf. Here's how director Peter Jackson recalled it:

New Line management told me that Connery's participation was essential for the project to be greenlit and asked me to send him the script. Frankly, I couldn't imagine what would compel him to spend 18 months filming in New Zealand, and I didn't think the company would be able to offer him a sufficient salary. However, producer Mark Ordesky said they were prepared to offer Connery 10-15% of the worldwide box office receipts instead of a salary.

If Connery had accepted, he would have earned approximately $300 million. However, he declined, citing a lack of understanding of Tolkien's work and a lack of vision for himself in the role of the sorcerer.

Matt Damon Turned Down Avatar



Matt Damon also made a big mistake once. James Cameron offered the actor 10% of the Avatar box office receipts for his role as Jake Sully. Considering that Avatar eventually grossed nearly $3 billion, Damon would have received $300 million. And that's just for the first film. However, Matt Damon was forced to decline because he had to finish filming The Bourne Ultimatum.

Will Smith turned down everything



"Wild Wild West"

In the late 1990s, the Wachowski brothers, then not yet sisters and little-known directors with only one failed film under their belt, came to Will Smith. They spent a long time talking to the actor about hovering in the air, flying the camera around the hero, and slow-mo. They offered him the role of Neo. But Smith preferred "Wild Wild West," a project by Barry Sonnenfeld, with whom he had already collaborated on "Men in Black." "Wild Wild West" was a flop and was panned by critics, while "The Matrix" gained cult status. When recalling his refusal in interviews, Smith always adds that he would have ruined the film.

Incidentally, Smith almost missed out on a role in "Men in Black." After "Independence Day," he didn't want to commit to another project with aliens, lest he repeat himself. Fortunately, Steven Spielberg, the film's producer, persuaded him.

Will Smith was also offered the role of Django in "Django Unchained." Smith wanted Django to kill slave owner Calvin Candie. But Tarantino categorically refused to change the script. The director said that a white man should kill a white man, symbolizing the impending civil war. And if a black man kills a white man, it would be revenge. Smith left the project, but in interviews he always spoke highly of the film and of Jamie Foxx, who ultimately played Django.

Tim Roth turned down Snape



Tim Roth turned down the role of Snape in Harry Potter to play the main villain in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes remake:

I wanted to do both films. We made it so I could fly back and forth, but when I saw my schedule, I realized I simply couldn't handle it. My children loved the books about the young wizard, but the idea of ​​playing Tim in a film was too tempting.

Tim Roth later admitted in an interview that he chose not to star in Harry Potter so as not to become trapped in his character and bore audiences.

How Schwarzenegger Set Up Stallone



The script for the comedy "Stop! Or My Mother Will Shoot" was written specifically for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold thought the script was terrible, so he turned it down. But he decided to play a joke on Sylvester Stallone. In a conversation with Stallone, he mentioned that he was preparing for the role of a lifetime, that the new film starring him would surely make history and become a turning point in his career. Stallone took the bait and decided to turn down the role. He succeeded easily, and the film became one of the worst of his career.