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Some of cinema's most iconic performances almost went to completely different actors! Join us as we count down legendary roles that were nearly played by someone else entirely, from unforgettable heroes to Oscar-winning portrayals that redefined Hollywood history forever!
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00:00When you sing, you begin with do-re-mi, do-re-mi.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we'll be discussing 10 instances where a famous or iconic performance from an actor
00:12almost didn't happen in the first place.
00:14We can undo this. I mean, we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try.
00:19Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward, Pretty Woman.
00:23Can I call you Eddie?
00:24If you expect me to answer.
00:26I would have stayed for 2,000.
00:30I would have paid 4.
00:31Before Julia Roberts flashed her megawatt smile in Pretty Woman, the role of Vivian Ward was offered to almost every
00:38top actress in Hollywood.
00:40Molly Ringwald famously turned it down due to the subject matter, while stars like Meg Ryan, Daryl Hannah, and Michelle
00:46Pfeiffer all passed for various reasons.
00:49You're not going soft on me, are you?
00:51I mean, you're not going to start dreaming about me waking up all sweaty and looking at me like I'm
00:55some kind of princess when I burp.
00:57Director Gary Marshall eventually cast a relatively unknown Roberts, transforming what was originally envisioned as a dark drama into a
01:05beloved romantic comedy classic.
01:07Julia's infectious charisma, razor-sharp wit, and instant chemistry with Richard Gere earned her an Academy Award nomination, cementing her
01:16status as an A-list superstar and redefining rom-com royalty forever.
01:34Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, The Shining.
01:38Hi, Lloyd.
01:43A little slow tonight, isn't it?
01:49Stanley Kubrick's horrifying psychological masterpiece wouldn't be the same without Jack Nicholson's unhinged descent into madness.
01:57But author Stephen King initially pictured someone far more grounded.
02:01King pushed heavily for John Boyd, believing an ordinary man cracking under pressure would make a scarier arc than Nicholson,
02:09whom audiences already associated with wild roles.
02:12Harrison Ford was also considered before Kubrick insisted on Jack.
02:16Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.
02:21Never tell me the odds.
02:23Nicholson brought an intense manic volatility to the Overlook Hotel, improvising iconic lines like,
02:29Here's Johnny, and creating one of cinema's most terrifying villains.
02:34King may have had his doubts, but film history certainly didn't.
02:37Little pigs, let me come in.
02:46Not by the hair on your chinny-chin-chin.
02:49Tom Hanks is Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, life is like a box of chocolates, and you never know which actor
02:55is going to pass on an Oscar-winning role.
02:58My mom always said, life was like a box of chocolates.
03:05You never know what you're going to get.
03:07Before Tom Hanks donned the running shoes and gave us an iconic performance, the script was offered to John Travolta.
03:14You can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer.
03:17And I don't mean just like a little paper cup, I'm talking about a glass of beer.
03:21And in Paris, you can buy a beer at McDonald's.
03:24Feeling the movie wouldn't resonate, Travolta turned it down.
03:27A decision he later admitted was a massive mistake, especially after Hanks went on to win the Academy Award for
03:34Best Actor.
03:35Bill Murray and Chevy Chase were also briefly considered.
03:38Hanks captured Forrest's gentle innocence and warmth with absolute perfection,
03:43turning what could have been a cartoonish character into the soulful heart of an American epic.
03:48Will you marry me?
03:55I'd make a good husband, Jenny.
04:00You would, Forrest.
04:03Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft.
04:05Lara Croft's Tomb Raider
04:20Before Angelina Jolie strapped on the dual holsters,
04:24the filmmakers reportedly eyed several high-profile stars for video game heroine Lara Croft,
04:29including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Lopez, and Demi Moore.
04:33Even after Jolie was offered the gig, studio executives worried her controversial public persona might backfire.
04:40I think they've all got where they got what they came for.
04:45Jolie won them over through pure dedication,
04:48enduring rigorous martial arts training and mastering a refined British accent.
04:53She injected the character with sleek confidence,
04:56defining the video game icon for a generation long before Elusia Vikander took over the mantle in the 2018 reboot.
05:03You messed with the wrong family.
05:12Jolie's star power turned a risky video game adaptation into a blockbuster franchise.
05:18Russell Crowe as Maximus, Gladiator.
05:21You find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face.
05:28Do not be troubled, for you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!
05:35Director Ridley Scott originally sought Mel Gibson to play the tragic Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius.
05:41Fresh off the massive success of Braveheart, Gibson declined to the role, as he had the Patriot lined up.
05:47Boys, listen to me. I'll fire first.
05:53I want you two to start with the officers and work your way down.
05:56He also may have been too old for the physically demanding role, being 43 at the time.
06:02Enter Russell Crowe.
06:03Crowe delivered a commanding, muscular, and emotionally resonant performance that anchored the sweeping historical epic.
06:10My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius.
06:13Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions.
06:18Loyal servant to the true Emperor, Marcus Aurelius.
06:21His brooding intensity and magnetic screen presence earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor,
06:27proving that Scott's backup choice was the absolute best man to command the Armies of the North and rule the
06:32Coliseum.
06:33Are you not entertained?
06:35If so, then why not scan this QR code and check out Ms. Moja's 24-7 live stream for more
06:41content all day and all night.
06:43Are you not entertained?
06:45Are you not entertained?
06:49Is this not why you are here?
06:55Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
07:01It's almost impossible to imagine Casablanca without Humphrey Bogart's weary, cynical charm as nightclub owner Rick Blaine,
07:08although it's been rumored that the studio originally wanted Ronald Reagan for the role.
07:13Studio press releases initially announced Reagan alongside the likes of Anne Sheridan,
07:18though historians debate whether that was genuine casting or clever publicity.
07:31George Raft also aggressively lobbied for the part before producer Hal B. Wallace stood firm on Bogart.
07:38Bogart brought a soulful, brooding vulnerability under a tough exterior,
07:43elevating the romantic wartime drama into one of the greatest films in cinematic history.
07:48Here's looking at you, Bogie.
07:50You proved to be the ultimate winning choice for the part.
07:53The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.
07:58Someday you'll understand that.
08:02No, no.
08:06Here's looking at you, kid.
08:08Charlize Theron as Eileen Wuornos
08:10Monster
08:11Charlize Theron's transformative portrayal of real-life serial killer Eileen Wuornos
08:16is widely regarded as one of the most remarkable physical and emotional acting feats in modern film history.
08:23You think I could do it otherwise?
08:25I'm not a bad person.
08:27I'm a real good person.
08:30Right?
08:31However, the film's financers had Kate Winslet or Heather Graham in mind for the lead.
08:36Director Patty Jenkins had her heart set on Theron
08:39after seeing her in The Devil's Advocate eventually getting her way.
08:43And I know we've got all this money and it's supposed to be fun, but it's not.
08:47It's like a test.
08:48The whole thing is like one big test.
08:52Theron underwent a staggering physical metamorphosis,
08:55gaining weight and wearing prosthetic teeth
08:57while diving deep into Wuornos' complex trauma.
09:01Her fierce, heartbreaking performance swept awards season,
09:04culminating in a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress.
09:07I don't know if I can forgive myself for purpose in the worst of all the time.
09:20Sean Connery as James Bond, Dr. No.
09:23I admire your courage, Mrs.
09:25Trench.
09:27Sylvia Trench.
09:28I admire your luck, Mr.
09:32Bond.
09:34James Bond.
09:35Before Sean Connery defined British suave as Agent 007,
09:40James Bond creator Ian Fleming had a vastly different vision,
09:44reportedly wanting Richard Todd.
09:46Cary Grant was also approached,
09:48but he refused to sign a multi-picture deal,
09:51only willing to commit to one film.
09:53Do we know each other?
09:54Why do you think we're going to?
09:56I don't know. How can I know?
09:58Because I already know an awful lot of people,
10:00and until one of them dies, I couldn't possibly meet anyone else.
10:03Patrick McGowan turned it down due to moral objections regarding Bond's womanizing and violence.
10:09Producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
10:11eventually took a gamble on the relatively obscure Scottish bodybuilder Connery.
10:16World domination.
10:18Same old dream.
10:20Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon.
10:23Or God.
10:25Fleming supposedly dismissed Connery as an unrefined, overgrown stuntman at first.
10:30Connery's rugged magnetism and charismatic style won Fleming over completely, though,
10:36launching the longest-running and most iconic spy franchise in cinematic history.
10:40Who are you working for, Professor?
10:43Well, you might as well know, as you want to live to use the information.
10:46I'm working for...
10:49Mr. Smith and Wesson.
10:52And you've had your six.
10:53Scarlett Johantin as Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow.
10:57Iron Man 2.
10:58Scarlett Johantin's long-running tenure as Natasha Romanoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
11:03almost never happened.
11:07Tony, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff.
11:09Hi.
11:09I'm a shield shadow.
11:10Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by director Fury.
11:13Emily Blunt was director Jon Favreau's first choice
11:16and was officially cast as Black Widow for Iron Man 2.
11:19Unfortunately, Blunt was forced to drop out due to a contractual obligation
11:23with 20th Century Fox for Gulliver's Travels.
11:26I want to be loved for who I am.
11:29There's an awful lot going on up here.
11:32Is there?
11:32Now you're being cruel.
11:33And frankly, melodramatic.
11:36And acting like a complete baby.
11:37You are acting like a little princess.
11:39I am a princess.
11:40Johantin, who had dyed her hair red prior to auditioning to demonstrate her commitment,
11:45eagerly seized the opportunity.
11:47She brought effortless swagger, sharp comedic timing, and formidable stunt work to the role,
11:53transforming Black Widow into a core Avenger
11:55and setting up a decade-long legacy across the entire Marvel Universe.
12:00You're a triple imposter.
12:01I've never seen anything like you.
12:02Is there anything real about you?
12:03Do you even speak Latin?
12:04Falecchus sunt rerum specchius.
12:06Which means, wait, what?
12:08What'd you just say?
12:09It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected.
12:12Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:16Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
12:20Paramount would have preferred Beatty or Redford at the time.
12:37Michael J. Fox is Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
12:41Fox replaced Eric Stoltz after filming began.
12:44Are you telling me that you built a time machine out of a DeLorean?
12:50The way I see it, if you're going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it
12:53with some style?
12:55Besides, the stainless steel construction made the flux dispersal.
12:59Look out!
13:01Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Alien.
13:04A personal tragedy for Meryl Streep opened the door for Weaver.
13:09I should reach the frontier in about six weeks.
13:12With a little luck, the network will pick me up.
13:16This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo.
13:22Signing off.
13:22Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring.
13:27Stuart Townsend was let go at the last minute.
13:31I would have gone with you to the end.
13:35Into the very fires of Mordor.
13:41I know.
13:44Look after the others.
13:46Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard.
13:49Frank Sinatra actually had first refusal for Roderick Thorpe's source novel.
13:54And if you're not one of them.
13:59I'm a cop from New York.
14:03New York?
14:05Yeah.
14:07Got invited to the Christmas party by mistake.
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14:37Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.
14:40Raiders of the Lost Ark.
14:43Snakes.
14:44Why did it have to be snakes?
14:50Asps.
14:52Very dangerous.
14:54It's fittingly ironic that Harrison Ford's second most famous character came about because
14:59he was already standard bearer Han Solo in Star Wars.
15:03George Lucas initially resisted casting Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark,
15:08wanting to avoid repeating actors across his franchises.
15:11What are you trying to do, scare me?
15:13You sound like my mother.
15:14We've known each other for a long time.
15:16I don't believe in magic, a lot of superstitious hocus pocus.
15:19I'm going after a find of incredible historical significance.
15:22You're talking about the boogeyman.
15:24Besides, you know what a cautious fellow I am?
15:28Tom Selleck was actually cast, but CBS refused to release him from his Magnum PI contract.
15:34With production looming, Lucas relented and hired Ford, who director Steven Spielberg was leaning
15:40towards anyway.
15:42Meet me at Omar's.
15:43Be ready for me.
15:44I'm going after that truck.
15:45Hello.
15:46I don't know.
15:47I'm making this up as I go.
15:48Ford swapped Solo's Millennium Falcon blaster for Indy's iconic fedora and whip, blending
15:54rugged charm with weary humor.
15:56Ford proved that lightning can strike twice, turning back-to-back second-choice casting into
16:01two of cinema's ultimate pop-culture legends.
16:04You're not the man I knew ten years ago.
16:07It's not the years, honey.
16:09It's the mileage.
16:11Can you imagine any alternate realities where these studios went with their original first
16:15choices?
16:16Let us know in the comments.
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