Helen Mirren – ‘Precious’
Dame Helen Mirren actually does not need to do another role in her life, but it is still interesting to see what she has passed up on. Mirren ditched Lee Daniels’ award-winning Precious, allowing Mariah Carey to come in and play the role of Ms. Weiss, a drab and shabby social worker who helps an abused and illiterate teen who is impregnated by her own father twice. Lee Daniels, director the movie, originally gave the role to Mirren. However, Mirren called 3 days before shooting started to say that she cannot do it. Carey went on to take her place and win critical acclaim in the process.
Helen Mirren – Precious
Sean Connery – ‘Lord of the Rings’
One wrong casting choice could have caused Peter Jackson’s epic, The Lord of the Rings to fail. The part of Gandalf was initially offered to Sean Connery. However, the famous Scottish actor turned down the part. He was reportedly offered ten million dollars for each film and a 15% share of the profits from the box office for the 3 movies. However, he turned down the offer saying that he did not understand his part. Apparently, the script did not make any sense to him despite reading it and the book. Also, the films were thought to be a risky proposition since Peter Jackson was a relatively unknown director that time and there were no big names in its cast.
The funny thing is that even after watching the movie, Connery says that he still does not understand it. Connery would go on to star in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen — the famous actor’s last movie. It was so bad that it made the Scottish actor retire.
Sean Connery – Lord Of The Rings