These 25 Actors Passed on the Role of a Lifetime, but Most of Them Didn't Regret It

Halle Berry became the first Black actress to win the best actress Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball, but the role almost went to another iconic actress: Angela Bassett. Bassett told Newsweek that she ultimately passed on the role over concerns about stereotyping Black women. "It's about character, darling," she told the magazine, according to People. "I wasn't going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn't do that because it's such a stereotype about black women and sexuality."