Pop culture will never be the same if these actors played iconic characters. The actors and actresses play a massive part bringing the characters to life, and it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role after you've seen the movie.
With that being said, here are some of the iconic movie roles that could have been played by different actors:
Leonardo DiCaprio in Brokeback Mountain
Leonardo DiCaprio attends the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger both showed a stellar performance in Ang Lee's hit romantic drama "Brokeback Mountain." However, when the project was still being discussed, the original director Gus Van Sant wanted A-list Hollywood stars to take the lead role.
Van Sant told IndieWire that no one wanted to do it. He said he asked Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Phillippe and Matt Damon, but they all said no.
Eventually, Heath Ledger signed up to play farmer Ennis Del Mar and he received an Oscar for his performance. His love interest Jack Twist was played by Jake Gyllenhaal.
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Emma Watson in La La Land
Emma Watson attends the "Little Women" World Premiere at Museum of Modern Art on December 07, 2019 in New York City.
La La Land helped Emma Stone win an Oscar, and it pushed her status as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. But it was another Emma who was originally lined up to play Mia in the movie.
Director Damien Chazelle revealed in Irish Examiner that Emma Watson was attached to the role at one point. However, she turned it down to play Belle in the live adaptation of the Disney classic "Beauty and the Beast."
Ryan Gosling was also not the first choice, Miles Teller was supposed to play the part of Sebastian, but changes were made right after Watson turned down the role for the movie.
Tom Cruise in Edward Scissorhands
Tom Cruise attends the 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' Press Conference at The Ancestral Temple on August 29, 2018 in Beijing,
There are a lot of reasons why an actor would turn down a movie role. In 1990, Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" was a massive hit, but it was not Johnny Depp who was the original choice.
Tom Cruise was approached for the role, but he turned it down because Tim Burton could not answer his questions about the role and the movie.
The film's screenwriter, Caroline Thompson, told Dazed that Cruise wanted to know how the character went to the bathroom. He asked questions about the character that was too detailed. In the end, though it all worked out as the movie became a cult classic.
John Travolta in Forrest Gump
John Travolta attends G'Day USA 2020 at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California
Tom Hanks is forever known as Forrest Gump, and it is difficult to imagine another actor in the role. But at one point, the iconic role was given to John Travolta.
Travolta turned it down to make "Pulp Fiction" which also became a cult classic and both movies competed for Best Picture at the 1995 Oscars, and both Hanks and Travolta were nominated for Best Actor. In the end, Hanks won the award.
Gwyneth Paltrow in Titanic
Gwyneth Paltrow attends the 2019 amfAR Gala Los Angeles at Milk Studios on October 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California
Titanic is one of the best movies of all time, and it became a public favorite not just because of the story but also because of the chemistry between Jack and Rose, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
However, the role of Rose Dewitt Bukater was first given to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, she eventually turned it down, and she never talked about the reason why.
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