1.
Nicole Kidman wasn’t “well known enough” or “talented enough” (in her words) to be cast opposite Hugh Grant in the 1999 film Notting Hill — despite “really wanting” it and having been in the industry for 16 years, starring in films such as Batman Forever and Practical Magic.
2.
In contrast, Harry Styles was considered for this year’s Elvis biopic but wasn’t cast because Baz Luhrmann felt that “he’s Harry Styles; he’s already an icon.”
3.
Singer Tom Jones was similarly considered for the role of James Bond at one point, but producer Cubby Broccoli apparently decided that Jones was too recognizable in his own right as a “singer with a big character,” asking, “Would people accept him as being James Bond? Could they get past him being Tom Jones?”
4.
Jim Carrey was once considered for the role of Buzz Lightyear in 1995’s Toy Story, but according to Joss Whedon, who worked on the movie’s script, “Disney put the kibosh on the person they wanted for Buzz Lightyear because he wasn’t famous enough, so we couldn’t use Jim Carrey.” Carrey’s fame skyrocketed in 1994 thanks to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dumb and Dumber, and The Mask, but these had not yet been released at the time of casting.
5.
Tobey Maguire was cut from Life of Pi ahead of its release, with the director, Ang Lee, saying he “decided to go with an entirely international cast.” However, sources reported that it was because he was “too famous” for the small role, especially in a film without huge stars beyond Maguire. Rafe Spall, who is British, reshot the role.
6.
Charlize Theron was not “well known enough at the time” to be cast as the lead in Showgirls. The role went to Elizabeth Berkley instead, who was mostly known for Saved by the Bell. The film bombed and tanked Elizabeth Berkley’s career, while Theron went on to win an Oscar and become a major star, so maybe that was for the best.
7.
Lionsgate apparently felt that Christian Bale wasn’t famous enough to play the lead role in American Psycho, and instead cast Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead. (To be fair, Bale had starred in films like Little Women and Newsies, but he was nowhere near DiCaprio at his then-post-Titanic-level fame.) Luckily, DiCaprio left the project, and the original writer/director (Mary Harron) who had pushed for Bale was brought back on, and the rest is history.
8.
In another example where the film ended up with the “not famous enough” actor, Christopher Plummer was reportedly originally considered for All the Money in the World, but the studio wanted a bigger name, so they went with Kevin Spacey. In the wake of the sexual assault allegations against Spacey, Plummer stepped back in and shot his scenes in nine days. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
9.
And in yet another similar example, Mark Ruffalo was almost cast as the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk instead of Edward Norton — but according to the director Louis Leterrier, Marvel told him to cast Norton “because he’s more famous.” Ruffalo would go on to replace Norton in the role in The Avengers and all other Marvel films.
10.
Gal Gadot says she was “never big enough of a name” for a bunch of different high-profile projects prior to Wonder Woman. “They always need someone…It was always me and ‘the big name,'” she added, saying she’d make it to the screen test before being dropped. One rejection was for the role of Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road. The role instead went to Charlize Theron.
11.
Dustin Hoffman was too recognizable to be in The Elephant Man. One of the producers, Jonathan Sanger, pointed out, “We’re always going to be looking to see where the Elephant Man ends and Dustin Hoffman begins.'” The role went to John Hurt, who had been acting for 18 years but was not at the level of fame of Hoffman, who had just appeared in Kramer vs. Kramer (for which he won an Oscar), and had of course starred in The Graduate over a decade earlier.
12.
Carey Mulligan was apparently told in 2010 that she wasn’t famous enough to cameo on Glee. She’d starred in films like Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Greatest. This was during Season 2 of Glee, which saw celebs like Britney Spears, Katie Couric, and Gwyneth Paltrow guest star.
13.
In contrast, Carla Gugino says Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner told her she was “too famous” to star in Mad Men, and that he didn’t want to “hire anyone whose renown might detract from her ability to disappear into the role.”
14.
Larry David reportedly felt that Richard Kind was “too famous” for Curb Your Enthusiasm — but in this case, Kind was able to convince him he wasn’t, and ended up on the show.
15.
Fox reportedly wanted a bigger star for Office Space, like Ben Affleck or Matt Damon. Writer/director Mike Judge pushed back and got Ron Livingston (who wasn’t well known at the time) cast.
16.
The studio then insisted the female lead be a major star, which led to Jennifer Aniston (during her days on Friends) being cast. However, they at first worried she was actually “too famous” for the role, as it was “smaller.”
17.
Similarly, Beasts of No Nation writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga thought Idris Elba might be “too famous” to want a role in his film. He had set out only wanting to cast non-actors. Elba was nominated for a Golden Globe and won a SAG award for his work on the film.
18.
La Vie en Rose director Olivier Dahan always wanted Marion Cotillard to play the singer Édith Piaf, but faced some resistance as “some of the film’s financiers didn’t find her physically similar enough to Piaf, or famous enough regarding the budget. They wanted someone more famous for a large audience,” according to Dahan. In fact, financiers then apparently cut down their spending, and Dahan figured out how to make the film with less money so they could keep Cotillard. She won an Oscar for the role.
19.
And finally, Oprah auditioned to be in Doubt but lost out on the role because director John Patrick Shanley apparently said, “It wasn’t long enough [of a scene] to lose the Oprah factor.” The role went to Viola Davis, who was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Mrs. Miller.
