Making a film is not a cakewalk. There’s a hell lot that goes in this complicated process where everything must be perfect. A lot of factors make the producers and directors reconsider their picks of actors for different roles. There are many sorts of reasons why our favorite celebrities have been nixed from projects they were working on. Maybe they had a disagreement with the filmmakers. Maybe their unprofessionalism repeatedly interrupted the production. Or maybe they were replaced in the eleventh hour because their performance just wasn’t very good
There have been numerous occasions where actors were sacked after being cast. Sometimes even after the filming had begun. See why these 18 celebrities got booted from the project they were working on.
1. Stuart Townsend Was Replaced By Viggo Mortensen In Lord Of The Rings
Peter Jackson was quick to notice that Stuart Townsend was too young to play the role of Strider. He gave the role over to Viggo Mortenson who delivered an exceptional performance.
2. Sylvester Stallone Was Replaced By Eddie Murphy In Beverly Hills Cop
Stallone was adamant about making the character of Axel Foley an action figure. His take on the character was rejected and Eddie Murphy was roped in.
3. Eric Stoltz Was Replaced By Michael J. Fox In Back To The Future
Despite shooting a major percentage of the film, Stoltz was deemed to be too dramatic and lacking the humorous flair imagined for the role of Marty McFly. Maybe Michael J. Fox was just meant for it.
4. Dougray Scott Was Replaced By Hugh Jackman In X-Men
Now, this was something we’re glad happened. Scott was Fox’s first pick for the role of X-Men but due to his conflicting schedule, he couldn’t take the role up. The rest is history.
5. Nicole Kidman Was Replaced By Jodie Foster In Panic Room
It was a major knee injury that led Nicole Kidman out of the production house of Panic Room. Jodie Foster was then roped in for the role who delivered an exceptional performance.
6. Annette Bening Was Replaced By Michelle Pfeiffer In Batman Returns
Bening had to leave the production due to pregnancy, and Michelle Pfeiffer stepped up to fill in her shoes. The makers were in so much rush to start the shooting that they gave Michelle Pfeiffer the clothes sized for Bening.
7. Kevin Spacey Was Replaced By Christopher Plummer In All The Money In The World
Due to sexual assault allegations Kevin Spacey, Ridley Scott decided to removed him from the movie and reshot all his scenes with Christopher Plummer, who even received a nomination for an Academy Award.
8. Lori Petty Was Replaced By Sandra Bullock In Demolition Man
Sandra Bullock who was a newcomer in the industry back then was roped in for this role as Lori Petty didn’t get along with her co-star Sylvester Stallone
9. Dennis Hopper Was Replaced By Ed Harris In The Truman Show
The role of Christof, the mastermind behind the fake town, was initially given to Dennis Hopper; however, there were difficulties with his portrayal (with a possible allegation of forgetting his lines), and so the role was then assigned to Ed Harris, who excelled at it.
10. James Purefoy Was Replaced By Hugo Weaving In V For Vendetta
Because James Purefoy was unable to emote himself with a mask on, the makers decided to cast Hugo Weaving.
11. James Remar Was Replaced By Michael Biehn In Aliens
James Reemar apparnetly had some creative differences with the makers of Alien. The event led to him getting fired from the project and Michael Biehn getting cast. Much later it was discovered that James was under the influence of drugs at the time of this mishap.
12. Julianne Moore Was Replaced By Melissa Mccarthy In Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Julianne Moore had a huge difference of opinions with the director of her film Can You Ever Forgive me. Marielle Heller said “I think that her idea of where the character was, was different than where my idea of where the character was.” Moore was replaced by Melissa McCarthy, who was even nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award.
13. Harvey Keitel Was Replaced By Martin Sheen In Apocalypse Now
Martin Sheen was Francis Ford’s first pick for Apocalypse Now. However, due to conflicting schedules, Sheen was unavailable. The role was given to Harvey Keitel who was not able to enact what Ford had envisioned.
14. Jean-Claude Van Damme Was Replaced By Kevin Peter Hall In Predator
The predator in Predator had no face of a star but the man first chosen to embody him was Jean-Claude Van Damme. However, Van Damme was unable to deal with the prosthetics and would pass out in the suit. The role was then done by Kevin Peter Hall.
15. Kel O’neill Was Replaced By Paul Dano In There Will Be Blood
Right after the filming of There Will Be Blood started, the makers realized that O’Neill wasn’t quite the best fit for the role, and even the actor himself realized it. The role was then given to Paul Dano, who was already on set, playing the role of Eli’s brother
16. Samantha Morton Was Replaced By Scarlett Johansson In Her
“When we started editing, we realized that what the character/movie needed was different from what Samantha and I had created together,” said the director of the movie. The role was then given to Scarlett Johansson.
17. Colin Firth Was Replaced By Ben Whishaw In Paddington
According to the makers, Colin Firth’s voice didn’t match the animation of the cute bear and he had to pulled out of the film after he recorded most of the lines. Ben Whishaw then took over the dubbing.
18. Ryan Gosling Was Replaced By Mark Wahlberg In The Lovely Bones
Ryan Gosling had to do the role of a father who’s daughter had gone missing. For the role he had to put on some weight. Gosling had other things in mind which didn’t match with director Peter Jackson’s views. Gosling was replaced by Mark Wahlberg.
Which star do you think should have never been replaced after seeing this list? Make sure to tell us in the comment section!!
Source: BoredPanda
