13 Actors Who Could Have Played Iconic Roles

Played by: Alan Rickman
Could have been: Tim Roth

Snap was originally offered to Tim Roth, who turned it down in favor of playing General Thade in Tim Burton's 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. In retrospect, this may have been a silly career move; however, as much as I love Tim Roth, Alan Rickman was all kinds of perfect, so maybe we lucked out in the end.

Played by: Viggo Mortensen
Could have been: Stuart Townsend

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn these days, but initially, Irish actor Stuart Townsend had been cast in the part. After four days of shooting, director Peter Jackson had to come to terms with the fact that Townsend was too young to be playing the role, and Mortensen was brought in instead. It's a good thing Mortensen's son Henry was such a big Lord of the Rings fan; he was the one who convinced his dad to take the job.

Played by: Harrison Ford
Could have been: Tom Selleck

Steven Spielberg originally suggested Harrison Ford for the famous adventurer and archaeologist, but George Lucas, who had already worked with Ford in three other films, resisted (he didn't want to become known for only working with Ford). After CBS refused to release Tom Selleck from his Magnum, P.I. contract, though, Lucas gave in and cast Ford.

Played by: Morena Baccarin
Could have been: Rebecca Gayheart

Morena Baccarin has become a fixture in nerddom for her protrayal of high-class Companion Inara Serra on Joss Whedon's Firefly, but in an alternate universe that might not have ended up happening. Rebecca Gayheart had originally signed on the play the role, but was fired after only one day of shooting. Whoops.

Played by: Michael Keaton
Could have been: Bill Murray

When the idea behind the 1989 feature film of Batman was to base it on the goofy Adam West television series, Bill Murray was the frontrunner for the Caped Crusader. After Tim Burton came aboard, Michael Keaton was brought in instead. Probably a good move; it's tough to imagine Bill Murray and Tim Burton working on the same movie.

Played by: Julia Roberts
Could have been: Molly Ringwald

John Hughes favorite Molly Ringwald allegedly turned down Pretty Woman because she wasn't comfortable with the script's tone and content. Good luck for Julia Roberts; when she nabbed the part of Vivian Ward, she shot to stardom.

Played by: Michael J. Fox
Could have been: Eric Stoltz

Apparently Eric Stoltz was deemed "too dramatic" for Marty and was fired after five weeks of shooting. Recasting Marty cost director Robert Zemeckis a few million bucks in reshoots, but it was worth it: With Fox in the lead role, Back to the Future went on to become the most successful movie of 1985.

Played by: Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis
Could have been: Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster

Both Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster were sent the script for Thelma & Louise, but dropped out as pre-production kept unexpectedly lengthening. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis were excellent replacements, though; both earned Oscar nominations for their work.

Played by: Leonardo DiCaprio
Could have been: Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke and Leonardo DiCaprio were running neck-and-neck for the role of Jack, which Leo eventually won. Hawke says he sometimes wonders what his life would have been like had he played Jack; I still wonder how on Earth he could cheat on Uma Thurman. Some things, we may never know.

Played by: Tom Hanks
Could have been: John Travolta

John Travolta turned down Forest Gump, leaving it open for Tom Hanks. Later, Travolta also turned down Paul Edgecomb in The Green Mile, again opening up the role for Tom Hanks. Excellent final casting, I think!

Played by: Judy Garland
Could have been: Shirley Temple

Child star Shirley Temple had been a big hit for 20th Century Fox, but when MGM tried to borrow her for their 1939 film of The Wizard of Oz, Fox refused. MGM went with Judy Garland instead, who, at 16, famously had to bind her breasts to play the youthful Dorothy Gale.

Played by: Keanu Reeves
Could have been: Will Smith

Will Smith was offered Neo, but he turned it down because he was a little uncomfortable being in a movie that was so heavy on special effects. Ah well. He seems to be doing pretty well in spite of it.

Played by: Mike Meyers
Could have been: Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey ended up having to drop out of Austin Powers due to scheduling conflicts with Liar, Liar. Could've worked; could also have been really, really weird.