By Iris Goldsztajn
10:44am PST, Jan 19, 2026
What if Sarah Michelle Gellar had been Cher Horowitz? What if Vince Vaughn had been Joey Tribbiani? What if Will Smith had been Neo? And what if we told you that all of those things almost happened?!
Keep reading to find out all the actors who missed out on huge roles…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news
Keep reading to find out all the actors who missed out on huge roles…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news
Michael B. Jordan: Dr. Dre, Straight Outta Compton
Corey Hawkins perfectly portrayed a young Dr. Dre in 2015's Straight Outta Compton, but another talented actor almost took his place. Michael B. Jordan was reportedly Dre's top pick to play him, but the Sinners actor couldn't make it work because he was already committed to The Fantastic Four, per The Hollywood Reporter.Julia Roberts: Annie Reed, Sleepless in Seattle
It's hard — nay, darn near impossible — to imagine anyone but Meg Ryan in the rom-com classic Sleepless in Seattle, yet the 1993 movie very nearly starred Julia Roberts as Annie Reed. Roberts once told InStyle that she'd been offered the role but "couldn't do it," not revealing any further details (via ABC News).Emma Stone: Alice, Alice in Wonderland
Emma Stone could have played the titular character in 2010's Alice in Wonderland instead of Mia Wasikowska, but it wasn't that much of a close call. "Tim Burton's a crusher," Stone told Timothée Chalamet for Variety's Actors on Actors series in 2018. "Oh, my God, when I auditioned for Alice in Wonderland, and not getting a Tim Burton movie is really devastating."Vince Vaughn: Joey Tribbiani, Friends
Matt LeBlanc IS Joey Tribbiani… but he almost wasn't! Casting director Ellie Kanner told HuffPost in 2015 that Vince Vaughn auditioned for the role of airhead heartthrob Joey, noting he was "handsome and tall" and a "good actor," but he ultimately wasn't the right choice for the show.Blake Lively: Karen Smith, Mean Girls
Amanda Seyfried was a perfect Karen Smith, but the original Mean Girls cast was totally shuffled around before the final cast came together. "I'd first auditioned for Regina," Seyfried explained to Vanity Fair in 2023. "I'd flown out to L.A. for the first time with my mother. It was very exciting, I met Lacey Chabert for the first time, and Lindsay Lohan was in the room, and Blake Lively was playing Karen, and I was Regina. I flew home, and they were like, 'You know what, we think you're more correct for Karen.'"Jane Krakowski: Rachel Green, Friends
According to 30 Rock star Jane Krakowski, nearly everyone tried to land a role on Friends in the mid-'90s, herself included. "I, like almost every actor in the world, auditioned for Friends," Krakowski told E! in 2015 (via Us Weekly). "I wish I had gotten that one. I actually auditioned for Rachel and didn't go very far."We're spinning out at the thought of anyone but Jennifer Aniston ever playing Rachel Green.
Matthew McConaughey: Jack Dawson, Titanic
Matthew McConaughey lost the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic when he refused to try a scene in a Wisconsin accent rather than in his own Texan one, producer Jon Landau revealed in his memoir. Up until then, he was a favorite for the part and even read with Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater. You don't need us to tell you that the role went to Leonardo DiCaprio instead.Taylor Lautner: Shane Gray, Camp Rock
Taylor Lautner as Shane Gray? Honestly, we can see it. "Taylor Lautner did audition, and we liked him a lot," Camp Rock director Matthew Diamond told Business Insider in 2023. In the end, though, decision-makers felt that Lautner wasn't "quite Shane Gray enough," and the iconic Disney Channel role went to Joe Jonas. Lautner went on to find his big break in Twilight instead, so all's well that ends well.Will Smith: Neo, The Matrix
Will Smith was offered the legendary role of Neo in The Matrix, but it went to Keanu Reeves. His reason for turning it down? "I didn't get it," he told SiriusXM's Sway In The Morning in 2025, explaining that the pitch the filmmakers made to him didn't make any sense. "I was like, 'I'm making Wild Wild West,'" Smith said. However, he admitted to regretting this choice once he saw the movie.Christina Applegate: Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods is everything to us — but had Christina Applegate portrayed the pink-clad genius, we wouldn't have been mad either. In fact, Applegate was actually offered the role at the time, but declined because she felt the vibe was too similar to Married…With Children. "Um, big f****** mistake," she joked to Vanity Fair in 2023. "I'd have Witherspoon money!"Eminem: Max Rockatansky, Mad Max: Fury Road
This one's pretty rogue, but we're kind of into it: Eminem could have played the titular character in Mad Max: Fury Road instead of Tom Hardy. Director George Miller told Vulture of possibly casting the rapper, "He'd done 8 Mile, and I found that really interesting — I thought, 'He's got that quality.'" In the end, they contacted Eminem, but he didn't want to leave the U.S. to film in Australia.Tom Selleck: Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark
A somewhat mind-blowing fun fact: Tom Selleck could have played Indiana Jones instead of Harrison Ford. "I was offered the role and wanted it, but I had done a pilot of Magnum," Selleck told TODAY With Hoda & Jenna in 2024. "And Steven Spielberg and George Lucas kept the offer out to me. They said, 'We'll work it out, and you can do both.' And the more they wanted me, the more CBS said, 'No, we don't want to let him do it.'" Selleck said he had no regrets.Beyoncé: Ally, A Star Is Born
A different pop diva could have ended up as Ally in 2018's A Star Is Born. When Bradley Cooper started working on the movie, he met with Beyoncé. "I went to Beyoncé's house, and Jay-Z was watching Judge Judy, I still remember," he said as part of SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations. "And she was incredible, and so was he, and we developed it for like a year together. I mean, she's one of the greatest people of all time. And then that fell through." Adele was considered next, before Lady Gaga emerged as the frontrunner.Liam Hemsworth: Thor, Thor
Sounds like family dinners were awkward for a while. You may think that Chris Hemsworth was the obvious choice to portray Thor, but his brother Liam Hemsworth really wanted the role, too. Liam auditioned and was initially considered for the role, while Chris was not, before the situation reversed and Chris ultimately landed the superhero part, he told Vanity Fair.Molly Ringwald: Vivian Ward, Pretty Woman
From Pretty in Pink to Pretty Woman would have been quite the cinematic graduation for Molly Ringwald. She was offered the role, but she wasn't interested. "Julia Roberts was wonderful in it, but I didn't really like the story," she told The Guardian in 2023. "Even then, I felt like there was something icky about it."Emma Watson: Mia Dolan, La La Land
If you can believe it, Emma Stone's 2017 Best Actress Oscar for La La Land could have never materialized. It was her namesake, Emma Watson, who was originally slated for the role of Mia Dolan. Unfortunately, the Harry Potter star couldn't do it because her prep for Beauty and the Beast was just too intense. "So, you know, scheduling conflict-wise, it just didn't work out," she told Vanity Fair.John Travolta: Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump
John Travolta was reportedly the first choice to star as the titular character in Forrest Gump, but turned it down to film Pulp Fiction instead, per Collider. Tom Hanks landed the coveted role.Rachel McAdams: Andy Sachs, The Devil Wears Prada
Rachel McAdams turned down the role of Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada as well as several other iconic roles at the same time. Though she admitted to Bustle that she has some regrets about that, "I step back and go, 'That was the right person for that.'" In this case, that "right person" was Anne Hathaway.Jennifer Lawrence: Bella Swan, Twilight
Jennifer Lawrence auditioned to play Bella Swan in Twilight, but it didn't go very well. "They turned me down immediately," she once revealed. "I didn't even get a callback." The movies launched Kristen Stewart's career instead.Sarah Michelle Gellar: Amber Mariens, Clueless
Ugh, as if! Sarah Michelle Gellar was the frontrunner for the role of Cher's enemy Amber in Clueless, but things didn't work out. "I really loved Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was on All My Children at the time," producer Adam Schroeder told Vanity Fair (via People). "She played Erica Kane's daughter, and she was just kind of wicked, beautiful. I showed Amy tapes of her. We ended up offering her the part of Amber. There became a big negotiation for All My Children to let her out. It was just for a couple of weeks, and they absolutely stuck their feet in [and] wouldn't let her." The part went to Elisa Donovan.John Krasinski: Steve "Captain America" Rogers, Captain America
John Krasinski was seriously considered as Captain America, going as far as doing a screen test and trying on the suit — but he got put off by … Chris Hemsworth's biceps? Krasinski told Conan O'Brien (via GQ), "The only bummer of [the audition] was, I was putting on the suit…and I got to right about my waist, I was still shirtless, feeling pretty good about myself — it wasn't 13 Hours yet — but I felt pretty good, and all of a sudden Chris Hemsworth walked by as Thor and he's like, 'Hey, mate,' and I went, 'I'm good. This is stupid. It's okay. I'm not Captain America.'" The part eventually went to a different Chris, Chris Evans.Ben Affleck: Josh Lucas, Clueless
Ben Affleck's first major role in Hollywood was in Good Will Hunting in 1997, but he could have another couple of years of A-lister status had he been cast as Josh Lucas in 1995's Clueless. Casting director Carrie Frazier told Vanity Fair (via People), "I brought in Ben Affleck for the role of Josh. I thought he would be fabulous for it. I was really trying to get Ben Affleck the part." But the stars weren't aligned, and Paul Rudd pinched the iconic role.Gwen Stefani: Jane Smith, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
We'd rather not imagine the breaches in the space-time continuum had Gwen Stefani landed the leading role in Mr. & Mrs. Smith over Angelina Jolie. Stefani revealed to Ellen DeGeneres she'd auditioned for the part, with the No Doubt singer quipping, "That could've been a different story!" (via People).Claire Danes: Rose DeWitt Bukater, Titanic
Just as Matthew McConaughey could have been the Jack to our Rose, Claire Danes could have been the Rose to our Jack. The actress was offered the leading role that went to Kate Winslet, but turned it down because she'd just filmed Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio. "'Honestly, I had just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic, and I just didn't have it in me," she told Dax Shepard on the "Armchair Expert" podcast (via ELLE UK).Emily Blunt: Natalia "Black Widow" Romanoff, Iron Man 2
Emily Blunt could have been Black Widow, but had to abide by her contract for Gulliver's Travels instead, she told Howard Stern. Still, she holds no hard feelings toward Scarlett Johansson: "Come on, the best girl got it," she once said.Mindy Kaling: Lillian Donovan, Bridesmaids
Mindy Kaling was up for the role of Lillian (the bride) in Bridesmaids and was devastated when she missed out, she once admitted to Andy Cohen. In the end, the role went to the inimitable Maya Rudolph.Renee Zellweger: Jenna Rink, 13 Going on 30
Renee Zellweger was reportedly up for the role of Jenna in 2004's 13 Going on 30, per BuzzFeed. Jennifer Garner ended up being the right person for the job.Viggo Mortensen: Wolverine, X-Men
Question: If Viggo Mortensen had been Wolverine, would he be besties with Ryan Reynolds in lieu of Hugh Jackman? We'd rather not think about it. Anyway, the Lord of the Rings star almost led the X-Men franchise, but he turned down the opportunity because he didn't really want to do a franchise film (ironically). "The thing that bothered me at the time was just the commitment of endless movies of that same character over and over," he said on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast (via NME).