Actors Who Turned Down Blockbuster Roles

Dr. Dre personally wanted Michael B. Jordan to play him in the musical biopic, but Jordan was unable to because of an overlap with scheduling of his role as The Human Torch in the “Fantastic Four.” “Straight Outta Compton” went on to gross more than $161 million in the U.S., while “Fantastic Four” was a flop, grossing just over $56 million.

Director Bill Condon worked with Beyoncé in the 2006 musical “Dreamgirls.” Condon told Yahoo! Entertainment that he tried to cast the superstar in the live action remake of “Beauty and the Beast” but that the part was too small for her.

According to John Lithgow, the actor actively talked director Tim Burton out of considering him for the role of the Joker in his 1989 version of “Batman.” Jack Nicholson reportedly earned $100 million for the role, when accounting for inflation.

Before he ever played the Joker, Jack Nicholson turned down a major role himself. Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone, thinking himself too old for the part. Today “The Godfather” is considered among the greatest films of all time.

According to Gwyneth Paltrow, she was one of the last two actresses being considered for the role of Rose in “Titanic.” Paltrow turned it down and actress Kate Winslet was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in the part.