It may seem like everyone wants to be a superhero these days, but a few stars have still tried to steer clear of the world of comic book movies. Here are a few of the actors who said no when DC came calling.
Leonardo DiCaprio has spent the vast majority of his life in Hollywood, but before he achieved global fame in James Cameron’s 1997 epic Titanic, Warner Brothers. approached him to star in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Seeing how things turned out, it’s probably fair to say that turning them down was the right choice.
The studio wanted DiCaprio for the part of D*** Grayson, also known as Robin, but DiCaprio just wasn’t feeling it. Contrary to rumors, DiCaprio has said he never screen-tested for the role, though he did talk to Schumacher.
Despite meeting with the director, DiCaprio said he never even wanted the role.
The role ended up going to Chris O’Donnell, but, interestingly, Robin wasn’t the only superhero role Hollywood offered DiCaprio, Sony Pictures approached him to play Spider-Man for director Sam Raimi. But as with Robin, he said he just wasn’t ready to put on a suit. At this juncture in his Oscar-winning career, it seems unlikely he’s in any rush to change his mind.
Warner Brothers had been trying to get a Green Lantern film off the ground for well over a decade before Martin Campbell directed the character’s first live-action outing in 2011. The studio approached Kevin Smith in 1997 to write a script for the film, but he turned down the offer, feeling he wasn’t the right fit for the job. Then renowned director Quentin Tarantino received an offer to helm the project, but he also turned it down, feeling he’d outgrown his adoration for comic books. When the studio finally settled on a director and screenwriter, they began their search for Hal Jordan.
Keep watching the video to see the 10 actors who refused huge DC roles!
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Leonardo DiCaprio | 0:13
Jon Hamm | 1:22
Pierce Brosnan | 2:29
Anthony Hopkins | 3:43
Jude Law | 4:52
Will Smith | 5:52
Heath Ledger | 6:40
Kate Beckinsale | 7:47
Charlize Theron | 8:50
Kristen Stewart | 9:34