Famous people and the famous roles they passed on.

Turned down Richard Gere's role in Pretty Woman, saying the film was poorly written. Also, he wasn't interested in playing Han Solo, so he turned down Star Wars too.

The Wachowskis' first choice for the role of Neo in The Matrix. Will Smith found the script too hard to follow, but did later remark he found Keanu Reeves perfect for the role.

The portuguese singer was supposed to have made her acting debut in the 1983 mystery L'été meurtrier (One Deadly Summer). Frustrated that the director didn't cater to her opinions she left the film and was replaced by Isabelle Adjani.

Was offered the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 adaptation. Mel Gibson thought the film would be a flop.

Turned down the main role of Sidney Prescott in Wes Craven's Scream, thinking it was yet another B-horror flick. Reese Witherspoon then had to wait for another 3-5 years for her career to really get going.

Turned down a role in Dany Boon's Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis, which became the most successful film ever made in France, making over 245 million dollars worldwide and spawning two remakes. Jean Dujardin felt the comedy's script was unconvincing and simplistic.

Turned down the titular lead role in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's highly successful Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amélie Poulain (aka Amélie), despite Jeunet having written the role specifically for her, due to her not feeling up to the French-speaking part. The role was then given to Audrey Tautou and propelled the young actress to international superstardom.

Turned down the lead roles in Forrest Gump, Days Of Heaven and American Gigolo

Turned down the role of Clarice Starling in Jonathan Demme's landmark adaptation of The Silence Of The Lambs, finding the film too violent, dark and disturbing. The role was played by Jodie Foster and arguably remains her best-remembered performance.

Turned down a part in David Fincher's Se7en, due to the film being too dark. He reportedly regretted his decision later on.

Turned down the chance to play a ghost husband opposite his then off-screen wife Demi Moore in, well, Ghost.

Turned down the role of Catherine Tramell in Paul Verhoeven's thriller Basic Instinct. If she hadn't, Sharon Stone might have never gotten her break.

Turned down the role of Gandalf in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings, due to him not "getting" fantasy. He cited the film's success as his reason to do his critically-panned final film, The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Left the role of Maggie Fitzgerald in Clint Eastwood's sports drama Million Dollar baby due to production delays. Replacing actress Hilary Swank won her second Oscar for the role, and Sandra Bullock starred in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous.

Jonathan Demme wanted him to play Hanibal Lecter in his celebrated adaptation of The Silence of The Lambs, but Jeremy Irons found the script to be too violent. The part instead became the defining role of Anthony Hopkins' career.

If Warren Beatty had accepted to play the part of Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's gangster classic The Godfather, Al Pacino, whose first film role it became, might have never had a career in film.

The once-popular teen star of such films as Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles was asked to play the lead role in Pretty Woman. She wasn't interested and a then relatively unknown Julia Roberts was cast. Roberts is now forever cemented as one of the biggest and best known movie stars of all time, while the only people who remember who Molly Ringwald is are 40 year olds who used to jack off to her pics when they were teens. Another role Molly Ringwald cries herself to sleep every night for having turned down is the lead in Ghost, which was eventually played by Demi Moore.

Dave Chappelle turned down the role Pvt. Benjamin Buford 'Bubba' Blue in the Robert Zemeckis' celebrated Forrest Gump, and expressed stupor when the film went on to be such a huge success. However Dave Chappelle may have the last laugh here, as you'd be hard pressed to find someone who knows who the actor who eventually played the part, Mykelti Williamson, is, while Dave Chappelle remains one of the most popular comedians of all time.

Julia Roberts could have won her second Oscar if she hadn't turned down the part that eventually went to Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, in order to do Valentine's Day. However, Roberts couldn't really say no to Valentine's Day director Garry Marshall, who gave her her big break in Pretty Woman, could she?

This actually isn't a case of an actor turning down a role, as Selleck was very interested, rather than one of an acotr not being allowed to play a part. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas both wanted Selleck to play Indiana Jones, but a deal couldn't be negotiated with Universal Studios, with whom Selleck had just signed to star in Magnum, P.I. Had Selleck been allowed to play the part, Harrison Ford, who George Lucas was reluctant to cast and who thus wouldn't have had another strong popular role following Star Wars, might just have gone the way of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. As for Tom Selleck, he eventually starred in his own Indiana Jones-type film, the little-known, hard-to-find, but absolutely-worth-the-watch High Road To China. Interestingly the same situation came very close to happening with Michael J. Fox and his Back To The Future role, but a deal was eventually reached between studios.

Speaking of Marty McFly, the role was turned down by Daniel LaRusso, Mr. Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio. I'm not sure if this was before Michael J. Fox was contacted or after negotiations initially broke down with his Family Ties producers and Spielberg and Zemeckis went looking for someone else, but whatever the case, who knows, if things had worked out and Macchio had the backing of two popular trilogies instead of one, he might have gone the way of Harrison Ford rather than Mark Hamill.

Halle Berry turned down the role of bus driver Annie Porter opposite Keanu Reeves in the hit thriller Speed. The role went to Sandra Bullock and instantly cemented her status as one of America's most popular actresses. In the meantime, while Halle Berry did get fairly regular work, she had to wait another six years for her ball to really get rolling.

Relatively early on in his career, Norton turned down the titular role in Steven Spielberg's landmark war film Saving Private Ryan. The role eventually went to Matt Damon, an actor who back then had gotten noticed in more independent films and who was propelled into the big time thanks to this part, a position which he still enjoys to this day.

The celebrated British actress turned down the part of Viola De Lesseps in Shakespeare In Love. The actress who replaced her, Gwyneth Paltrow, won an Oscar for her performance while Winslet had to wait till 2009 to receive hers, despite having been nominated 5 times beforehand. Kate Winslet also turned down the part of Anna Leonowens in Anna And The King, a role eventually played by Jodie Foster.

Madsen and director Quentin Tarantino have collaborated numerous times. Twice strictly speaking, buth thrice if you count Kill Bill as 2 films and five times if you count Sin City and Hell Ride. As such it should come as no surprise that Tarantino had a role ready for Madsen in what remains his most famous film, Pulp Fiction. However Madsen was stuck with rehearsals for the western Wyatt Earp, and regularly expresses regret at not having played the part that was eventually renamed Vincent Vega, rewritten as a brother to Madsen's character Vic Vega from Reservoir Dogs, and given to John Travolta who, if Madsen had not been available, might never have enjoyed a much-needed carrer resurrection.

Turned down either Thelma or Louise in Thelma & Louise. I don't know which.

If Sarah Polley hadn't turned down the part of Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, Kate Hudson might have remained Goldie Hawn's unknown slutty daughter while Polley might be starring in two uninspired romantic comedies a year.

Hollywood experienced a Sam Worthington boom starting in 2009 with Terminator Salvation, Avatar and Clash Of The Titans, however the Australian actor may never have gotten his American dream if Jake Gyllenhaal hadn't turned down the Jake Sully role in Avatar.

Turned down the male lead in Grease, which dfamously went to John Travolta

In what would undoubtedly have been a very different film, Midler turned down the lead role in the hit comedy Sister Act. Whoopi Goldberg was wisely cast instead, thereby giving a whole new meaning to the word "sister".

Tom Hanks might be one of the most loved actors of this day and age but he could have added another feather to his cap had he not turned down the lead role in Field Of Dreams, now instead regarded as one of Kevin Costner's finest films.