Stars on the A-list are there for a reason.
They’ve made a series of smart career choices,
carefully selecting the projects they act
in so they have continued success.
When was the last time Leonardo DiCaprio was
in a film that was outright bad?
Still, everyone is prone to mistakes, and
even the biggest names in Hollywood can have
a misstep or two on their résumé.
You may be surprised that some Oscar winners
and box office icons don’t always make the
best decisions.
Here are 10 popular actors who you didn’t
think made bad career choices.
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Robert De Niro
The legendary actor declined the role of Captain
Jack Sparrow for the first Pirates of the
Caribbean movie since he felt it would flop
like so many other pirate films of years past.
De Niro was proven wrong when The Curse of
the Black Pearl was a huge hit and earned
Johnny Depp a Best Actor nomination, so he
tried to make up for it by signing on for
Stardust.
Unfortunately, that film was hardly the box
office success Pirates was and only made $38
million in the States.
De Niro has a filmography full of iconic roles
and performances, but in this instance he
wasn’t so… savvy.
Matthew Broderick
Broderick will always be Ferris Bueller to
viewers, but the actor could have added another
great character to his résumé.
He was offered the chance to play Walter White
on Breaking Bad, but he turned it down for
reasons unknown.
Bryan Cranston became the one who knocked
and won countless accolades for his performances
over the span of five seasons – including
three consecutive Primetime Emmys.
Broderick has had a successful career, working
in a variety of projects from awards contenders
to beloved animated classics, but he probably
wishes he could go back in time to cook some
(fictional) crystal meth and be Heisenberg.
Sean Connery
From James Bond to Indiana Jones to the Untouchables,
Sean Connery starred in several great films
throughout his career.
He has few regrets, but there is one that
haunts him to this day.
Connery was one of Peter Jackson’s choices
for Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
but the actor turned it down because he didn’t
understand the script.
Even when Connery was offered $10 million
per film and 15 percent of the box office
totals, he still said no.
Not only did he miss a chance to leave another
major impact on pop culture, Connery’s decision
cost him a whopping $480 million.
His last film, The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen, was nowhere near that kind of payday.
Paul Giamatti
In his career, Paul Giamatti has been nominated
for – and won in some cases – Oscars,
Golden Globes, and Emmys.
He’s one of the industry’s finest character
actors and always gives it his all, but not
every decision he’s made has been a winner.
Giamatti could have been Michael Scott in
the U.S. version of the sitcom The Office,
but he turned the part down.
Steve Carell took it instead and was launched
into superstardom by the show’s success.
Looking over Giamatti’s résumé, it’s
hard to say he’s had a bad run, but he arguably
lacks that one truly iconic character.
Maybe Michael Scott was the one that got away.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is Han Solo and Indiana Jones,
but one thing he is not is an Oscar winner.
In fact, Ford has only been nominated once
by the Academy, but that could have been different
if he accepted a role for the 2005 drama Syriana.
Ford was offered the part of Bob Barnes, but
turned it down.
George Clooney stepped in and took home a
golden statue on Oscar night.
Ford says it’s one of the few decisions
in his career he regrets, and it’s easy
to see why.
Hopefully the right script comes across his
desk soon and he too can receive film’s
highest honor.
Michelle Pfeiffer
The glamorous actress has put together a storied
career full of tremendous performances and
owned the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns,
but there’s one great part that she didn’t
put her stamp on.
Pfeiffer was offered the role of Clarice in
Silence of the Lambs, but she turned it down
because she was put off by the violence and
heavy themes of the story.
Jodie Foster, who was intent on having the
part, got it and won Best Actress at that
year’s Oscars.
Silence of the Lambs even pulled off the rare
feat of winning the “big five” at the
ceremony, going down as one of the greatest
films ever made.
Pfeiffer has plenty to be proud of, but this
was the chance of a lifetime.
Denzel Washington
Denzel is in contention to win his third Oscar
this year for his performance in Fences, but
he’s had his fair share of screw-ups too.
In 1995, Washington was offered the chance
to play Detective Mills in the serial killer
drama Se7en, but he chose to work on another
detective thriller – Devil in a Blue Dress.
While David Fincher’s Se7en was a big commercial
hit and critical success, Denzel’s movie
struggled at the box office despite doing
well with critics.
It’s the biggest regret of Washington’s
career, but it may have pushed him to take
Training Day, which won him several awards
in 2001.
Matt Damon
After the original Bourne trilogy wrapped
up in 2007, Matt Damon had trouble replicating
the action franchise’s success.
Prior to The Martian, several of his projects
struggled either critically or commercially,
but he could have been part of one of the
defining films of this generation.
Damon turned down the role of Harvey Dent
in The Dark Knight, a juicy part that went
to Aaron Eckhart.
Damon eventually got a chance to work with
Christopher Nolan in Interstellar, but there’s
no denying Harvey Dent was the larger role
that would have been a great showcase for
Damon.
With all the comic book movies coming through
the pipeline, he’s bound to find something
in that genre soon.
Will Smith
The Fresh Prince has slipped a bit in recent
years, but back in the 1990s, he was the biggest
movie star on the planet.
Coming off the success of Independence Day
and Men in Black, Smith could have chosen
anything he wanted for his next role.
He was offered the part of Neo in the groundbreaking
sci-fi film The Matrix, but he turned it down
to work on a different genre picture.
That would be Wild, Wild West, and it’s
safe to say that was not a wise choice.
While The Matrix went on to revolutionize
the industry with is incredible special effects,
Wild, Wild West flopped both critically and
commercially, despite Smith’s best efforts.
Chloe Grace-Moretz
Bursting on to the scene thanks to her role
as Hit Girl in Kick-Ass, Chloe Grace-Moretz
and has been busy ever since, picking up parts
in everything from Best Picture nominees to
horror remakes.
She’s become omnipresent on the big screen,
but that will change now that she’s stepping
away from the limelight.
Grace-Moretz dropped out of all her in-development
projects earlier this year, including a live-action
take of The Little Mermaid.
The actress doesn’t expect her break to
be long, but she wants to reevaluate her career
and perhaps be more selective about the films
she makes so each one really counts.
Her fans might be upset about this now, but
if it works out for the better, it’ll be
good for everyone.
Conclusion
Those are just some highly successful actors
that made some puzzling decisions in their
careers.
Are there any we missed?
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