10 Actors Who Turned Down Roles In Movies That Won Best Picture

They say it's an honor just to be nominated, but we all know that isn't completely true. Being in a movie that wins best picture at the Oscars is a way for any actor to cement their Hollywood legacy. Even if the general consensus is that something else should have won that year, people still at least talk about the movie in question. It remains an integral part of the zeitgeist, and whether certain wins age poorly or well, they become touchstones for what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences felt should be recognized as important during that time period. 

The problem is that it's hard to know what's going to win best picture before it happens. And there's no shortage of actors who turned down a part in an Oscar-winning film. Sometimes it happens due to scheduling issues. In one case we'll cover, it was due to an actor viewing the project as too evil. 

Fortunately, this list showcases actors who turned down roles in movies that won best picture and ultimately found success elsewhere. Some would argue they starred in films that were better than what won the Oscar. But it's interesting to consider how their careers would have shaken out if they had made a different decision all those years ago. 

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" is the antithesis of an Oscar bait movie. It's a multiverse story about the damage mothers can inflict onto their daughters, and it won a slew of awards, They include best picture, as well as best actress for Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang. But one thing only hardcore fans of "Everything Everywhere All at Once" will know is that Evelyn wasn't always supposed to be the lead. The main character was originally a man, and the directing duo of the Daniels wanted Jackie Chan for the part.

The movie is far more action-packed than what you typically see in an Oscar movie, so it may make sense that the Daniels initially gravitated toward a male-centric story. In an interview with CNN, Yeoh revealed that Chan would've played the patriarch while she would've been the wife. But when Chan dropped out due to scheduling issues, there was a chance to do something special: "I think the Daniels also stepped back and said, 'We're doing something that's already been done before. We should do something differently.' They both have very strong women in their lives, whether it's their mothers, or their partners. So, they are very inspired, and they're not afraid of strong women."

Not only did this pave the way for Yeoh to have a lead role, but it allowed Ke Huy Quan to take on the role of her husband. Quan won best supporting actor at that year's Oscars for his work, rejuvenating his career. 

"Pulp Fiction" helped jolt John Travolta's career. After having big hits like "Grease" and "Saturday Night Fever" in the 1970s, his career stalled, but Quentin Tarantino saw something interesting in him and cast him as Vincent Vega, kickstarting a new phase of his filmography where he went on to play cool, tough guys. However, his career could've careened in a vastly different direction had he taken the titular role in "Forrest Gump" instead.

Years later, Travolta talked about the decision to MTV (via Huffington Post) and revealed that he didn't mind turning down the iconic character: "If I didn't do something Tom Hanks did, then I did something else that was equally interesting or fun. Or if I didn't do something Richard Gere did, I did something equally well. But I feel good about some I gave up because other careers were created." 

"Forrest Gump" wound up beating "Pulp Fiction" at the 67th Academy Awards in what many would call one of the biggest best picture snubs of all time. The film is often seen as hokey these days, while "Pulp Fiction" was groundbreaking for a non-linear structure and bringing B-movie sensibilities to the mainstream. Everything worked out for Travolta in the end, and "Forrest Gump" helped make Tom Hanks into America's sweetheart. Honestly, Hanks kind of owes his career to Travolta, as he also turned down the lead role of Allen Bauer in 1984's "Splash," which also went to Hanks.

Michelle Pfeiffer has been nominated for an Oscar three times. She was up for best supporting actress for "Dangerous Liaisons" and then best actress twice for "The Fabulous Baker Boys" and "Love Field." But there's a chance Pfeiffer could've finally won an Oscar if she hadn't turned down a blockbuster role in an Oscar-winning thriller — "Silence of the Lambs."

Pfeiffer had previously worked with director Jonathan Demme in the 1988 movie "Married to the Mob," and Pfeiffer could have starred as Clarice Starling, which went to Jodie Foster. She won best actress, and the film itself took home best picture. But according to an interview Pfeiffer did with The New Yorker, "Silence of the Lambs" was simply too evil for her. 

"With 'Silence of the Lambs,' I was trepidatious," Pfeiffer explained. "There was such evil in that film. The thing I most regret is missing the opportunity to do another film with Jonathan [Demme]. It was that evil won in the end, that at the end of that film evil ruled out. I was uncomfortable with that ending. I didn't want to put that out into the world." 

The ending of "Silence of the Lambs" sees Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) escaping from his confinement and tracking down Dr. Chilton (Anthony Heald), implying that he's about to kill and eat him. It's a dark conclusion that the Academy clearly loved, but one that Pfeiffer could do without. 

Gwyneth Paltrow has a best picture under her belt with "Shakespeare in Love," which won out over the epic war film "Saving Private Ryan." But Paltrow could have had a far less controversial winner, had she decided to star in "Titanic." 

She was up for the role of Rose, which ended up going to Kate Winslet. When speaking with The Morning Call all the way back in 1998, Paltrow didn't seem to mind passing over James Cameron's epic film: "Are you insane? 'Great Expectations' and 'Sliding Doors' had great characters and great stories. 'Titanic' has a ship." Years later, she would offer a more thoughtful remark on the matter on 'The Howard Stern Show' (via US Magazine). 

For starters, she downplayed whether she actually turned it down: "I know that the story is that I turned it down. I think I was really in contention for it — I was one of the last two." She continued, "I look back at the choices I've made and think, 'Why the hell did I say yes to that? And no to that?' And you know, you look at the big picture and think: There's a universal lesson here. What good is it to hold onto roles?" 

Regardless of what happened, it seems Paltrow was a favorite to star in "Titanic," already having notable films like "Seven" and "Emma" on her resume. Winslet was far less of a known quantity at the time, but it wound up launching her career. 

These days, Paul Bettany is probably best known for playing Vision for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But he has a long and storied career that could have included best picture-winner "The King's Speech" — if Bettany didn't just so happen to need a break when the movie was in production. 

The film's screenwriter, David Seidler, had said that he wrote the part of King George VI, the lead role that went to Colin Firth, specifically for Bettany. Not only did the film win best picture, but Firth won best actor. It could have been Bettany's for the taking, and during an interview at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival (via The San Diego Tribune), Bettany discussed his regret over missing out on the film. His regret isn't for the reason you might think. 

Bettany's reasoning for turning down "The King's Speech" came down to feeling burnt out coming off of "The Tourist" and wanting to spend time with his family. "Do I regret it?" Bettany pondered. "I regret not working with such amazing, amazing actors and directors and writers. But no, I have to do the right thing by my family every time."

The King's Speech" has an incredible cast, including the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, and Timothy Spall. But now that he's in the MCU, there's a plethora of talented actors for him to pal around with. 

Heath Ledger belongs to a limited group of actors who gave an Oscar-winning performance right before they died. Ledger unfortunately died in January 2008, just months before "The Dark Knight" came out in theaters. His iteration of the Joker astonished audiences, and he was rewarded with a posthumous best supporting actor trophy at the Academy Awards. 

"The Dark Knight" famously missed out on a best picture nomination, but Ledger could have starred in the winner from the year prior — "No Country for Old Men." Josh Brolin confirmed in a chat with the "Armchair Expert" podcast that his role in that film, Llewelyn Moss, was originally offered to Ledger. "I don't know if you knew this, but Heath Ledger was supposed to do that role," Brolin revealed. "It wasn't that he died, he pulled out of the role. He was like, 'I don't want to work right now.'"

Ledger's daughter, Matilda, was born in 2005, probably shortly before "No Country for Old Men" went into production. It's possible he wanted to focus on being with her before diving headfirst into a big project, which materialized with "The Dark Knight." Ledger's death was a tragedy, as he could have had a fruitful acting career for a long time afterward. In fact, he was reportedly looking into starring in Terence Malick's "Tree of Life," which released in 2011. 

Child actors don't always have easy transitions into successful careers as adults, but Kirsten Dunst is an exception. She broke out with roles in "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "Interview with the Vampire" when she was just a kid, delivering one exceptional performance after another. Her resume is certainly nothing to scoff at, but she could have gotten a best picture winner early in the mix had she starred in "American Beauty."

She told Variety that she was up for the part of Angela, which would eventually go to Mena Suvari. The character is probably best known for appearing naked with red roses covering her body in a fantasy sequence dreamed up by bored suburban dad, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey). According to Dunst, "I don't know if I necessarily turned it down. I think I just turned down the meeting or something. But yeah, I just didn't feel comfortable with the sexuality."

Dunst would instead star in "The Virgin Suicides" around this time. While "American Beauty" has scenes of a grown man ogling a teenager, "Virgin Suicides," from Sofia Coppola, examines burgeoning female sexuality from a far more grounded place. Meanwhile, Dunst has never been short on work, even collaborating with Coppola many other times over the years. 

"Platoon," one of the best war movies of all time, won the Oscar for best picture at the 1986 Academy Award ceremony. At the time, Keanu Reeves was an up-and-coming actor with a few credits to his name but nothing too outstanding. Amazingly, it sounds like Reeves could've given his career a shot in the arm early on by starring in "Platoon," but he turned it down for something that may seem odd in hindsight. 

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Oliver Stone responded to a question about other actors who could've played Chris Taylor, the role that went to Charlie Sheen. He revealed, "Keanu turned it down because of the violence. He didn't want to do violence." While Reeves would eventually break out with the time-traveling comedy "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," he'd ironically find a cozy niche for himself within the action genre, with movies like "Point Break," "The Matrix," and, with perhaps the most amount of violence of all his work, "John Wick." 

Still, "Platoon" has a very different kind of violence. It realistically depicts the horrors experienced by soldiers during the Vietnam War, and that might have been too much for Reeves. Perhaps he missed out on a best picture winner, but being known as both Neo and John Wick is, arguably, a much greater honor. 

Julia Roberts is no stranger to the Academy Awards. She's been nominated for acting prizes four times, ultimtely winning for the lead role of "Erin Brockovich." Several of her films have even been nominated for best picture, and she could have starred in something that actually won the top prize, had she signed on for "Shakespeare in Love." 

A big difference between Roberts and other actors on this list is that she didn't merely turn down the prospect of the film. She had actually signed on to star, which allowed the movie to get financing. She was cast as Viola de Lesseps, and she was dead-set on starring opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. But he was already attached to another project, and she didn't seem interested in anyone else who auditioned. Producer Ed Zwick also went on the record as saying that Roberts' accent was nowhere near the level it needed to be, so it may have been for the best that she departed the movie.

At that point, millions of dollars had already been spent, but it managed to get picked up by Miramax and overseen by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. "Shakespeare in Love" persevered with Gwyneth Paltrow eventually getting cast as Viola, which won her an Oscar. 

In addition to his impressive turn as Walter White on "Breaking Bad," Bryan Cranston has plenty of superb acting credits on the film side of the entertainment industry. From action flicks like 2014's "Godzilla" to biopics like "Trumbo," the latter of which netted him an Oscar nomination for best actor, Cranston can do it all. And while he appeared in the best picture winner, "Argo," he could have added another to his name had he signed on for "Spotlight." 

The investigative journalism drama beat out the likes of "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Martian" to take home the top prize, and Cranston expressed regret after the fact about not taking part. He said on "Larry King Now" (via Boston Magazine), "I was offered a role in 'Spotlight.' I had to turn it down because I was already committed to 'Infiltrator' and there was a crossover of time. I had to turn it down."

"The Infiltrator" received pretty good reviews from critics, but it's mostly a footnote in Cranston's career, only making $21 million at the box office. A lot of great movies get released every year, and there's no guarantee what will end up an Oscar winner. But when you're a talented actor, it's a safe bet that more great roles are just around the corner.