Actors Who Refused To Be In Martin Scorsese Movies

Martin Scorsese is one of the most beloved filmmakers in the history of cinema. In his time carving out a reputation in this domain, he's managed to work with a slew of unforgettable actors, many of whom managed to deliver some of their most beloved performances under his direction. However, even given his reputation for securing incredible talent, that doesn't mean that Scorsese has secured every single famous face that he approached to appear in one of his movies. There are several noteworthy examples over the years of notable actors flat-out turning down the chance to appear in a Scorsese movie. What sounds like something ludicrous was a natural part of the production process for beloved titles like "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas."

The list of performers who have turned down roles in Scorsese includes actors that served as the leading man of the director's earlier works, big stars of the 1970s, as well as a pop singer who could've scored her most prestigious acting gig ever if she'd agreed to appear in "Goodfellas." These are just the tip of the iceberg.

Though it isn't one of the most iconic movies he's ever director, Martin Scorsese's 1974 movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is still an acclaimed motion picture that features, among other virtues, plenty of famous faces. The supporting cast alone includes the likes of Harvey Keitel, Diane Ladd, and Jodie Foster, while Ellen Burstyn is the one responsible for handling the titular role of Alice. Before she hopped onto this lead role, though, Shirley MacLaine was approached to play Alice. It was a part that MacLaine turned down, a decision that turned out to be ill-advised given that "Alice" turned into a tidy box office and critical hit.

Decades later, MacLaine still couldn't avoid getting questions about how she passed on the opportunity to work with Martin Scorsese. Talking to The New York Times in 2005, MacLaine noted that her primary reason for turning down "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" was because she didn't know who Martin Scorsese was in the early 1970s. Not familiar with either his name or works, MacLaine dismissed the production and moved onto other acting gigs. Of course, by the end of the decade, Scorsese would cement his reputation and make his name famous with titles like "Taxi Driver."

In the 1983 Martin Scorsese classic "The King of Comedy," stand-up comic Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) has an unhealthy fixation with late-night TV host legend Jerry Langford. This role is inhabited by a real-life legend of comedy, Jerry Lewis. Though it seems like destiny that an icon of silver screen comedy would portray a fictional titan of levity, Lewis wasn't always the first choice for this part. In fact, "The King of Comedy" went through several options for the part of Langford before it arrived at Lewis. The very first pick for the role, in fact, was somebody who served as the clear inspiration for Langford, Johnny Carson.

Serving as the host of "The Tonight Show" on NBC for decades, Carson redefined the world of late night comedy, but he was not known for acting as fictional characters. In fact, if he had taken on "The King of Comedy," it would have been Carson's first foray into acting as somebody that wasn't just himself. Scorsese was still enthusiastic about the idea of having Carson portray a warped fictional version of himself, but Carson turned down the project. Apparently, Carson just found the process of film acting way too time-consuming, or, as Carson put it according to The Guardian, "one take is enough for me." Though this casting didn't pan out, "The King of Comedy" still secured an unforgettable fixture of big-screen comedies to play somebody that Pupkin was way too obsessed with.

While Madonna's primary claim to fame is her groundbreaking work as a musician, she also had a notable streak of acting credits in film for a good stretch of the 1980s and 1990s. This included comedies like "Desperately Seeking Susan," as well as her work as the female lead in the Warren Beatty blockbuster "Dick Tracy." However, at one point in time, her acting career almost also encompassed working with director Martin Scorsese. The collision of Madonna and Scorsese was once set to occur on the 1990 gangster feature "Goodfellas," with Madonna being eyeballed for the role of Karen Hill.

While talking to GQ, producer Barbara De Fina noted that Madonna was a name in heavy consideration for the part of Karen, to the point that she and Scorsese went out of their way to see Madonna's work in the Broadway show "Speed the Plow" and scout her acting chops. Given her prominence as both a pop culture icon and an actor in this era, it's not surprising that Madonna gained the attention of Scorsese when putting together the cast of "Goodfellas." Of course, Madonna would not end up in "Goodfellas," with this performer passing on the gig and Lorraine Bracco eventually taking on the part of Karen Hill. There's never been an official reason disclosed for why Madonna didn't end up in "Goodfellas," but it'll be tough to find any "Goodfellas" who'd say the movie is worse for having Bracco instead of Madonna.

Unlike many actors who turn down the chance to be in a Martin Scorsese movie, Willem Dafoe was casted and ready to go to appear in the director's 2002 movie "Gangs of New York." Dafoe was one of countless people set to be a part of this epic drama's cast, which was headlined by Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and Daniel Day-Lewis. However, things hit a snag when the ambitious project finally got underway. Principal photography for "Gangs of New York" began in the year 2000 so that the film could come out in 2001. However, it ended up stretching on for so long that "Gangs of New York" would eventually get delayed to Christmas 2002.

It was during this lengthy filming process that Dafoe's presence in "Gangs of New York" became a question mark. In May 2000, IGN reported that production delays would likely cost the movie the presence of Dafoe, a development that eventually came to pass. Losing Dafoe on any film is a disappointment, but it was especially crushing here since the actor and Scorsese had worked so well together on "The Last Temptation of Christ." Luckily for fans of these two collaborating, Dafoe and Scorsese would once again join forces very shortly after "Gangs of New York" was released. In 2004, the actor appeared in a small role in "The Aviator," with no scheduling conflicts or filming problems keeping Dafoe from this project.

The 2004 Martin Scorsese movie "The Aviator" is not short on big names. Everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Cate Blanchett to Jude Law, just to name a few, are on hand, with many of them tasked with playing silver screen legends of the 1930s and 1940s like Errol Flynn or Katharine Hepburn. But that doesn't mean "The Aviator" was able to get every big name it wanted. Case in point: Angelina Jolie was heavily pursued for a major role in the production. However, she ended up turning down the chance to work for Scorsese for what turned out to be a very understandable reason.

In an interview with The Guardian almost two decades after "The Aviator" hit movie theaters, Jolie revealed that she refused to star in this Scorsese movie because it was being produced by Harvey Weinstein. While it wouldn't be until October 2017 that a wave of allegations about sexual misconduct and assault against Weinstein would publicly emerge, whispers about his misbehavior bounced around Hollywood for years earlier. Thus, Jolie had no interest in joining "The Aviator" with Weinstein around in a prominent capacity.

The first non-documentary produced by Brad Pitt was "The Departed," a 2006 movie directed by Martin Scorsese that would go on to be the filmmaker's first feature to win the Best Picture Oscar. This means that Pitt proved to be an integral behind-the-scenes player in one of the most important titles in Scorsese's body of work. However, initially, Pitt was set to be an even more prominent figure in the feature through him playing the lead role of Colin Sullivan. Before cameras began to roll, though, Pitt stepped away from the part, opening up the opportunity for Matt Damon to take over what would become one of his most notable characters.

It might sound peculiar for an actor to pass on the chance to headline a Martin Scorsese movie, especially when they're already a part of the production in a producing capacity. However, Pitt had a solid reason for bowing out of "The Departed" as an actor. He later revealed to Interview Magazine that he felt he was too old for the character, and that someone younger was needed to sell the character of Sullivan. While there isn't a tremendous age gap between Pitt and Damon, it was enough to solidify that the latter actor was the more appropriate choice for the part. Though Pitt's face didn't get to grace the posters for "The Departed," his producer credit ensued that he was still a noteworthy player in bringing this title to the silver screen.