12 Actors Who Almost Turned Down Career-Changing Roles

Find out why these actors almost said no to these roles…

Idina Menzel may have originated the role of Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway but she was reportedly hesitant about making a cameo in the film. Marc Platt, who was a producer on both the Broadway musical and film, says that Idina and Kristin Chenoweth were worried about stealing the spotlight from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

“Both the girls, Kristin and Idina, were a little bit nervous about it. Kristin jumped in pretty quick, because she and Ari had had a relationship and she was excited,” he told Variety, adding that Idina “didn’t want to rain on anything that had to do with Cynthia. She thought, ‘This is her moment. I want her to have her moment.'”

He continued, “I said, ‘Both of you are going to want to touch the film. You’re part of the Wicked lore forever…You’re going to want to be part of something that's bigger than you, and so for the rest of your lives, you’ll always be part of Wicked even in the film.’ And they both said, ‘Okay, you’re right.’”

Notting Hill may be one of Julia Roberts’ most iconic films but she almost turned down the role. Looking back in an interview with writer Richard Curtis, Julia said she initially didn’t want to take on the role of a Hollywood starlet in the movie which caused to almost say no.

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was your movie, playing a movie actress,” Julia told Richard in the British Vogue article. “I was so uncomfortable! I mean, we’ve talked about this so many times, but I almost didn’t take the part because it just seemed -- oh, it just seemed so awkward. I didn’t even know how to play that person,” Julia told

Rachel Zegler actually did turn down her role of Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes but immediately regretted her decision. She had initially said no because director Francis Lawrence had told her they were filming in Germany and Poland -- and she didn’t want to be away from her family for so long. In the end, she accepted another project that was filmed at the same time. When that movie got pushed back, she put her name back into the mix for the Hunger Games flick.

“I was away from everybody that I knew and loved, and I said ‘no.’ And I regretted it the second I said it. I had another project lined up that fell through that got pushed into 2023, and I just kind of put my name back into the mix and got it, and I feel really bad for any of the girls…because I put my name back in, and they were just like, ‘Yup, OK, cool, we’ll do it,’” she shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Meryl Streep was the perfect fit to portray Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada but she actually almost didn’t accept the role due to a pay discrepancy. Years after the film premiered, Meryl explained that she thought the initial salary offer was almost insulting and it wasn’t until the number was double that she said yes.

“The offer was to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project. There was my ‘goodbye moment,’ and then they doubled the offer. I was 55, and I had just learned, at a very late date, how to deal on my own behalf,” Meryl shared with Variety.

Emma Stone may have won an Oscar for her role in La La Land but she almost didn’t accept the part. She explained that she was wrapping up work on Cabaret on Broadway and it had taken a toll on her body. At that point, she says “the idea of doing another musical was like, ‘You’ve got to be out of your mind.’” Emma eventually reconsidered and accepted the role.

“I was very sick. My voice was gone, and I was struggling to get through the shows -- I was still doing Cabaret,” Emma told The Hollywood Reporter. “After Cabaret, I wasn’t sure I would ever sing or dance again.”

In the late ’90s, Will Smith had just filmed Independence Day when he was offered a role in Men In Black. At the time, Will didn’t think it was a good idea because he didn’t want to make “two alien movies back to back.” Steven Spielberg wasn’t going to take no for an answer though and sent a helicopter so Will would come have a conversation with him. He told Steven he “didn’t want to be the alien guy,” but Steven convinced him to change his mind.

“He had me at 'hello,'" Will told Kevin Hart on an episode of Hart to Heart.

Chris Evans almost turned down his starring role as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Back in 2010, he was invited to screen test for Captain America: The First Avenger but at the time, he was struggling with anxiety. He had recently started having “mini panic attacks” while working on set and didn’t think such a big movie was a good idea for him. Although he said no to the audition, Marvel still offered him the part. After talking with family, therapists and some co-stars, Chris realized he had been “making decisions based on fear” and said yes to the Marvel film.

“It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I really owe that to [Marvel president] Kevin Feige for being persistent and helping me avoid making a giant mistake,” Chris said on the Awards Chatter podcast.

Ewan McGregor almost didn’t join the Star Wars franchise. When he was initially offered the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan didn’t think he was a fit for the film and saw himself as more of an independent film actor. He was also concerned that the films weren’t well-liked at the time and it would be bad for his career.

“It wasn’t a done deal for me. I didn’t think it was at all who I was. I believed, at that point, I was a Danny Boyle actor. The Beach was more important and I meant it, it wasn’t flippant. I did ask a lot of people for advice,” Ewan told Variety.

He continued, “When these films came out, they were so disliked. That was hard. The first one was panned and we still had to make another two! It was weird to be in a film that was hammered.”

When Amanda Seyfried was offered the role of Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout, she initially thought she would turn it down. Looking back, she says she was living in Georgia at the time while her husband worked on a movie and she didn’t want to be away from home any longer.

“Listen, I was having a f--king moment, OK? I had COVID. I was isolating in the basement of a gross townhouse in Savannah, Georgia, because my husband was working on a movie there. And now an LA shoot? Pass!” Amanda shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

The next morning, she called her agents to tell them she had a change of heart and accepted the role.

Ralph Fiennes starred in the Harry Potter franchise as Lord Voldemort but he almost turned down the part. He explained that he hadn’t read the books and didn’t understand how big the movies were going to be. He was finally convinced by a casting director and his sister, who had children who loved the books.

“In my stupid ignorance I hadn’t read the books, I hadn’t seen the first movies, and I was, I have to say, a little snobby about it,” he said on Watch What Happens Live. “Until the casting director, great lady, English Lady, Mary Selway sat me down -- I mean, I’ve known Mary for many years. She could be tough, and very insistent, and she just said, ‘You have to do this movie. Just do it, Ralph.’ And she said it with such emphasis. My sister, Martha, who has children, said, ‘You’re not gonna do Voldemort? You’re thinking of saying no?’”

Taraji P. Henson was cast as Shug Avery in the film adaptation of The Color Purple musical but she almost had to walk away from the role. Taraji explained that there was a pay discrepancy and she felt that she had to stand up for herself in order to make sure that her co-stars were also treated fairly.

“[I] almost had to walk away from Color Purple…Because, you know what? If I don’t take a stand, how am I making it easy for Fantasia [Barrino], and Danielle [Brooks], and Halle [Bailey], and Phylicia [Pearl Mpasi]? Why am I doing this? If it’s all just for me, why are you here? We are to service each other,” she shared with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

Before Jenna Ortega signed on to Netflix’s Wednesday, she was unsure about accepting the role. She says that she was worried how doing another television show would impact her career when she really wanted to be making movies. It was Tim Burton who finally convinced her to say yes.

“I was scared that signing on to another television show could prevent me from doing other jobs I really wanted and cared about,” Jenna told The Times, noting that it was Tim Burton who finally convinced her. “[He] is such a legend, and we just happened to get along very well. But even then I said, ‘Ah, no -- I think I’m OK,’ a couple [more] times.”