With a career spanning over three decades, Brad Pitt has established himself as one of Hollywood’s top actors. He has starred in everything from the critically acclaimed dramas like Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to the box office smash hits such as the Ocean’s Trilogy and Troy. However, even the most famous actors in the world have turned down iconic roles.
Pitt’s refusal to appear in The Shawshank Redemption was one of the most baffling of his career. Tim Robbins’ character, Andy Dufresne, teaches a prison inmate named Tommy Williams to read, and Brad Pitt was originally cast to play Williams. Pitt, however, decided to leave the film after his breakthrough performance in Thelma and Louise to focus on leading roles.
Brad Pitt in The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption has earned a place among cinema’s most beloved works, and its fan base keeps growing. Andy Dufresne, the film’s protagonist, is falsely convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison at Shawshank State Penitentiary, where he encounters various interesting inmates.
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Andy takes in a young inmate named Tommy Williams and helps him learn to read. The role of Tommy was originally offered to Brad Pitt, but he declined to play a small part as a cowboy drifter in Thelma and Louise, which is a fact that many people might not know.
Taking on the role in Pitt’s then-unknown film Thelma and Louise was seen as a gamble at the time. However, the film was a smashing success that propelled him to fame almost overnight. That’s why Brad Pitt passed up playing Tommy in The Shawshank Redemption, and Gil Bellows got the part.
The Shawshank Redemption was a huge success, but it’s hard not to think about what might have been. The movie is now widely considered a classic and frequently listed among the all-time best films.
Brad Pitt Continues To Make Millions
Brad Pitt has declined many leading roles throughout his career. The role of Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity was initially offered to him, but he declined it in favor of Spy Game. In the end, it was Matt Damon who took on the legendary part, and the Bourne films went on to become massive box office success.
Even though The Matrix became a landmark film of the ’90s and a cultural phenomenon, Pitt turned down the role of Neo. Keanu Reeves ended up playing the part, and his career as an action hero skyrocketed.
Despite these missed chances, Pitt has had a lengthy and successful career in Hollywood. To name just one of his many accolades, his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
While it’s interesting to speculate about what might have happened had Pitt played these classic parts, he’s clearly made the most of his time in Hollywood and remains one of the most in-demand actors working today.
Source: Vanity Fair
