Actors Who Turned Down Big Roles
These 25 Actors Passed on the Role of a Lifetime, but Most of Them Didn't Regret It
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Julia Roberts in Shakespeare in Love
Gwyneth Paltrow's Oscar-winning role almost went to Julia Roberts instead! One of the film's costars, Simon Callow, revealed to the Daily Mail that the original cast had Daniel Day-Lewis and Roberts in the leads, rather than Joseph Fiennes and Paltrow. "Julia Roberts, who was playing Viola, had — it was confidently rumoured — been assured that the role of Shakespeare would be played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who was someone Miss Roberts clearly wanted to get to know better," he revealed.
"But it was not to be. Daniel wasn't interested, so Julia withdrew and the whole thing fell through just six weeks before filming was due to begin."
