00:00Tom Cruise has played some of the most iconic movie roles of all time.
00:03I feel the need, the need for speed.
00:08But you won't believe how many more classic parts he turned down.
00:12I got exactly what you asked for. Did you want something else?
00:19Cruise, who has been busy saving the world as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible,
00:23turned down one of the biggest superhero roles ever, saying no to Iron Man.
00:28I'm the best.
00:31He wanted to be more involved in the production and was quoted saying,
00:35I need to be able to make decisions.
00:37Doth mother know you wear as her drapes?
00:40It's safe to say Cruise and of course Marvel have both done just fine,
00:44as is the case with most of the movies the actor almost took on,
00:47but it's still fun to see what could have been.
00:50Show me the money!
00:52In the early 80s, after dancing around in his undies in risky business,
00:56Cruise was offered arguably the biggest dance movie ever, Footloose.
01:01Footloose, Footloose, kicked out some ass shoes.
01:06Alas, he was already attached to all the right moves.
01:09A few years later, Tim Burton was making Edward Scissorhands and met with Cruise,
01:13who was the studio's clear choice.
01:15The famed director said he was, quote, interesting, but that it worked out for the best.
01:20Not that Tom Cruise is short on career-making roles,
01:23but he could have had so many more,
01:25like The Shawshank Redemption in Tim Robbins' role,
01:29Ghost in Patrick Swayze's role,
01:31Wall Street in Charlie Sheen's role,
01:33The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in Brad Pitt's role,
01:36The Talented Mr. Ripley in Matt Damon's role,
01:39A Beautiful Mind in Russell Crowe's role,
01:41which he left to star in Vanilla Sky,
01:44and Indecent Proposal,
01:46which he and then-wife Nicole Kidman were pursuing
01:48before they went to Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore.
01:51Portia, there is no substitute.
01:54And then there were the action movies that got away,
01:57like literally Speed.
01:58Others included John Carter,
02:00I Am Legend and Enemy of the State,
02:02both of which became Will Smith movies,
02:04and Salt, which ended up going to Angelina Jolie
02:07when Cruise picked Night and Day instead.
02:10That's a lot of what-ifs, but it's hard to argue
02:12with one of the most successful careers in Hollywood.
02:16Yeah, baby.
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