6 movie stars who turned down Oscar-winning roles
The Academy Awards is unarguably the most prestigious and sought after award in the movie industry. Actors must carefully select the scripts that will advance their careers and highlight their acting skills. Although the movie stars below have had successful careers in Hollywood, here are the times the roles they walked away from ended up receiving the prestigious golden statuette.
1. Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts was offered the role of Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love which took Best Picture in the Academy Awards in 1998. People reported that Julia was one contract away from starring in the film when she found out that Daniel Day-Lewis turned down the role. Julia wanted Daniel to play the role of Bard of Avon so when he turned down the role, she decided to pull out. Gwyneth Paltrow was then given the role and ended up winning an Oscar for Best Actress for the film.
2. Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford has made a great name for himself in Hollywood. He won an Oscar for his role in The Fugitive and has played two of the greatest action heroes of all time, Hans Solo and Indiana Jones. Harrison could have had one more Oscar on his shelf had he not turned down the offer to act in Syriana. Harrison was offered the role of CIA Agent Robert Barnes but declined the role as he “didn’t feel strongly enough about the truth of the material.” George Clooney ended up with the role and won Best Supporting Actor in 2006. After watching the film, Harrison changed his mind on the film as the issues he had with the material were rectified.
3. Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck had been nominated for an Oscar four times before he took home Best Actor in 1963 for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory might have taken home an Oscar sooner had he not passed on the offer to star in High Noon. Gregory passed on the role as he had just starred in a western The Gunfighter and wanted to avoid typecasting. The role was then offered to Gary Cooper who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance. Gregory later said, "I don't think I would have been as good as Gary Cooper but I still think it would have been a good film with me in it."
4. Gwyneth Paltrow
In 2016, The Danish Girl received three nominations and one win at the Academy Awards. The film, however, had been stuck in the development stages for years as actors and directors continually abandoned the project. The role of Gerda Wegner, Lili’s wife, moved from Charlize Theron to Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth was ready to star in the film when a last-minute shooting location changed the actress’ mind. As she didn’t want to spend too much time away from her kids, Gwyneth decided to walk away from the role. Tom Hooper, Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander came on board with the project years later. Alicia played Gerda and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
5. Anne Hathaway
In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence won her first Oscar for Best Actress for playing Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook. Even though Jennifer was outstanding in the film, she wasn’t the first pick for the role. Film executive Harvey Weinstein admitted that Anne Hathaway was slated for the lead female role and Bradley Cooper’s role was meant for Mark Wahlberg. Both actors were ready to star in the film until Anne had some “creative differences” with director David O. Russell. The differences couldn’t be resolved so Anne left the project and Mark Wahlberg followed her. Anne Hathaway did end up winning an Oscar that year for Best Supporting Actress in Les Miserables.
6. Paul Bettany
The portrayal of George Vi in The King’s Speech was not originally intended for Colin Firth. Screenwriter David Seidler believed Paul Bettany was perfect for the role and Paul was offered the part but declined as he didn’t want to be separated from his family for a long period of time. Paul had been working for five months so decided to go home to his family instead of working on a new film in Buckingham Palace. Reflecting on his decision to walk away from the role Paul said, “I regret not working with such amazing, amazing actors and directors and writers. But no, I have to do the right by my family every time.” Colin Firth was chosen for the role and in 2011, he won Best Actor in this film.
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