There were cases when the actors were offered several roles at once. And they decided to turn down a risky role in favor of the more promising one. Unfortunately, the risky role turned out to be great, and the film was a huge hit. And sometimes, when the promising role turned out to be a jerk, the actors had to reverse their decision for life. However, there were cases when the promising one also turned out to be okay, justifying the decision of the particular actor. Here is the list of 10 actors who turned down iconic and incredible roles.

• Ralph Macchio – Marty McFly, Back to the Future trilogy

After the immense success of “The Karate Kid”, Ralph Macchio was the most sought-after teenage star. The Back to the Future production team thought it was a perfect fit for the sci-fi film and would increase its chances of hitting the box office. However, Macchio didn’t feel like playing Marty McFly. He felt that the film was about “a kid, a car,and plutonium pills.” The role was then given to Eric Stoltz. However, his portrayal of Marty was deemed too dramatic and was dropped from the project. And as we all know, the Eventually role passed to Michael J. Fox, who played her with brilliance and perfection, contributing to the immense and monumental success of the film.It was the highest-grossing film of 1985 and was followed by two sequels in 1989 and 1990, which also achieved great success at the box office .

The film launched Fox’s career and propelled him to bigger and better things. During Macchio’s career following the two sequels of The Karate Kid , it failed to take off and subsequently faded.

• Katie Holmes – Piper Chapman, Orange is the new black

No one would have predicted that Orange Is the New Black would become such a monumental hit. In this regard, Katie Holmes has our condolences. She turned down the role of lead character Piper Chapman . Creator Jenji Kohan subsequently signed Taylor Schilling for the film. Taylor Schilling played the role of the bisexual inmate with such perfection that she received several comedy and drama award nominations for the role, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards and Best Actress – TV Series Drama at the 71st Golden Globe Awards and wonBest Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy at the 18th Satellite Awards for her performance in the first season.

By the time Kohan approached Holmes for the role, she had a few other commitments and probably wasn’t thinking too much about the Netflix series’ prospects. Holmes has turned down good roles in the past. She reportedly turned down the lead role of Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer so she could finish high school. We respect her decision to focus on education, but the film was a smash hit.

• Molly Ringwald – Vivian Ward, Pretty Woman

If the casting of the “Pretty Woman” production team before meeting Julia Roberts had been prolific. Then the “American sweetheart” would have missed one of the most famous roles, which distinguished her as the darling of the public. It is reported that Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Karen Allen and Daryl Hannah have been approached to star in the famous romantic comedy opposite Richard Gere. The film’s director, Garry Marshall, was particularly interested in casting Molly Ringwald in the lead role. Apparently, Molly was one of the most popular names of the ’80s. Her success with “Sixteen Candles”, “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink” had made her one of the most in-demand ladies in the business.

Ringwald turned down the film but felt uncomfortable with the film’s original script. The film was originally conceived as a dark drama dealing with prostitution and drug use in 1980s Los Angeles. And, Ringwald, being a respected actress, didn’t want a movie like that on her resume.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt – Robin How I Met Your Mother

Cobie Smulder’s flawless beauty and strong sex appeal is one of the main factors that made the CBS romcom series a smash hit. In addition, Cobie embodied her Robin character in the series. Beautiful, Canadian, down to earth, raw and real. Cobie had all the qualities to play the role of a journalist struggling with perfection. However, she wasn’t the first choice for the role. Craig Thomas and Carter Bays wanted Jennifer Love Hewitt to play Robin. However, Hewitt had another offer on the table and a simultaneous shoot for both companies was not possible. The other offering was the CBS television show Ghost Whisperer. Hewitt has undoubtedly received critical acclaim for her work on the series, including a Saturn Award2007 and 2008 for Best Actress on Television . However, in terms of popularity, there is only one winner between the two. HIMYM made Smulders a household name and helped her land big roles in the industry, including the role of SEAL agent Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• Tea Leoni – Rachel, friends

Jennifer Aniston was the third choice for the role in Friends , the role that remains the biggest success of her career to this day and made her an A-lister. It’s a well-known fact that Courtney Cox, who was the show’s most popular cast member at the time, was cast to play Rachel’s role. However, she wanted to play a strong female character and auditioned for Monica’s role. And even before Cox, the series producers had contacted Teo Leoni to play Rachel. However, she resigned the role on ABC’s The Naked Truth, ‘ Which only ran after three seasons, was canceled by ABC and subsequently picked up by NBC. Apparently Leoni was drawn to more camera time, she would appear as a lead in ‘The Naked Truth’ compared to one of the five leads in ‘Friends’. Leoni has had success in her career. but it’s not at odds with what Aniston has accomplished in her career. In fact, Rachel’s character is one of the most popular TV characters of all time.

• Anne Hathaway – Tiffany, Silver Linings Spielbuch

In a radio interview with Howard Stern , the movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein revealed that Anne Hathaway was the first choice to play the role of Tiffany in the American romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook. However, Hathaway had creative differences with director David O. Russell. As a result, she decided to end the project, and subsequently Jennifer Lawrence was hired as the lead actress in the film. Lawrence’s great acting in the film was highly acclaimed, making her one of the most exciting young actresses in the business. Oh, and she won an Oscar for Best Actressand became the second youngest Best Actress Oscar winner at age 22. Of course, Anne Hathaway didn’t do too shabby either. She has made some great films and is considered an extremely talented actress in the industry. However, there is always something special about adding another Oscar to your personal collection.

• Vince Vaughn – Donnie Darko

“Donnie Darko”, the sci-fi movie, is one of the most intense and trippy movies out there. And even years after its release, it remains a popular film among the youth. The theme of youth disappointment and depression in the film received widespread praise from critics and fans. The film was originally offered to Vince Vaughn. But Vince, who was in his mid-30s, thought he was too old to play the role of a depressed teenager. The film was then offered to Jake Gyllenhaal, who gave an immense performance to cement his reputation as a talented young actor.

Vaughn is one name on the list that you can’t criticize for turning down a particular movie. After all, there’s no way Vaughn would have been better suited for the role than Gyllenhaal. And it’s not as if Vaughn’s career suffered from the decision. He is currently one of the most famous comedy actors.

• Will Smith – Neo, Die Matrix-Trilogie

Because of his super cool personality and action hero looks, Will Smith was approached to play the role of Neo in the famous and hugely successful ‘The Matrix Trilogy’. Will Smith, who at the time had just found his feet in the industry and had only a few good films to his name, felt intimidated by the role being offered. Will has repeatedly accepted that he didn’t have the confidence in his acting abilities to play a lead role in what he described as a “difficult film concept.” Subsequently, the role was given to Keanu Reeves, who became immensely popular for his role in the film. And according to the reports, Reeves pocketed around $75 million for his role in the trilogy.

Smith continued to play American steampunk, but the western action-comedy film “Wild Wild West” was a huge disappointment. While Smith accepted that “The Wild West” was a mistake in judging, he has no regrets turning down a chance to star in The Matrix . He felt that Reeves was exceptional and only managed to mess up the film.

• Dana Delany – Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

Carrie Bradshaw is arguably one of the most popular fictional characters. It has made Sarah Jessica Parker one of the most recognizable TV stars. Not only did playing Carrie Bradshaw make Parker one of the highest-paid actresses of the era, it also helped her create an image of the fashionista with whom she had numerous lucrative endorsement deals. With her popularity from the show, she has launched her own range of fragrances. In addition to two Emmy wins, she also won four Golden Globe Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards for “Sex and the City.”

However, the role was initially offered to Dana Delany by the show’s creator, Darren Star. In an interview, Delany claimed that Darren got the idea to create “Sex and the City” after seeing her and Kim (Kim Cattrall) in “Live Nude Girls” in a similar type of movie “Exit to Eden”, Delany was not willing to work at another such company. Also, she didn’t want to be typecast as an actress.

• Jack Nicholson – Michael Corleone, The Godfather Trilogy

In his long and illustrious career, JackNicholson has played several legendary roles, such as Jack Torrance in ‘The Shining’, The Joker in ‘Batman’ (1989) and the eccentric RP McMurphy in ‘One Flyed over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (One Flyed Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) adds another legendary role to his resume. He was offered the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The Paramount studio felt the film was a risky venture and wanted an established actor to direct the film.

However, Nicholson does not regret turning down the opportunity. He had no doubts about the film’s success. However, at the time, Nicholson felt that “Indians should play roles written for Indians, and Italians should do the same.” He also praised Al Pacino several times for his virtuoso performance in the iconic film.