Uncover the incredible reasons behind why these actors almost walked away from their groundbreaking roles…

Idina Menzel, famous for her groundbreaking role as Elphaba in Wicked, demonstrated hesitation when it came to making a cameo in the film adaptation. Marc Platt, the producer who worked on both the Broadway musical and its film version, mentioned that both Idina and Kristin Chenoweth were concerned about overshadowing Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who were set to take on leading roles.

“Both Kristin and Idina felt a bit apprehensive about it. Kristin jumped in quite quickly because she had a rapport with Ari and was excited to join,” he told Variety. He added that Idina “didn’t want to take away from anything that had to do with Cynthia. She believed, ‘This is her moment. I want her to shine.’”

He continued, “I said, ‘Both of you will need to touch the movie. You are part of the Wicked legacy forever… You will be part of something larger than yourselves, and for the rest of your lives, you will always be connected to Wicked even through the film.’ They both replied, ‘Okay, you’re right.’”

Notting Hill remains one of Julia Roberts’ most beloved films, yet she almost passed on the role. Reflecting in an interview with writer Richard Curtis, Julia revealed her initial reluctance to portray a Hollywood starlet in such a film, which led her to nearly decline the opportunity.

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was your film, playing a film actress,” Julia told Richard in the British Vogue article. “I felt incredibly uncomfortable! We’ve discussed this numerous times, but I almost didn’t accept the role because it just felt — oh, it seemed so awkward. I didn’t even know how to portray that character,” Julia shared.

Rachel Zegler initially turned down her role as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, but she immediately regretted her decision. She initially declined because director Francis Lawrence had informed her that the filming would take place in Germany and Poland, and she was reluctant to be away from her family for an extended period. Ultimately, Rachel accepted another project that coincided with the filming schedule. When that film was pushed back, she re-entered the running for the Hunger Games movie.

“I was away from everyone I knew and loved, and I said ‘no.’ Regrettably, the moment I said it, I wished I could take it back. I had another project lined up that fell through, which got pushed into 2023, and I just decided to put my name back in the mix for the Hunger Games film,” she shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Meryl Streep was the ideal choice to portray Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, but she almost turned down the role due to a salary issue. Years after the film’s release, Meryl explained that she felt the initial pay offer was somewhat insulting, and it wasn’t until the amount was doubled that she agreed to take on the project.

“In my mind, the offer was somewhat, if not insulting, not reflective of my true value to the project. There was my ‘goodbye moment,’ then they doubled the offer. At 55, I had just learned, rather late, how to negotiate on my own behalf,” Meryl shared with Variety.

Emma Stone may have won an Oscar for her role in La La Land, but she almost didn’t take the part. She explained that she was finishing up her work on Cabaret on Broadway, which took a toll on her health. At that moment, the thought of jumping into another musical felt overwhelming, and she thought, “You must be out of your mind.” Ultimately, Emma reconsidered and accepted the role.

“I was very unwell. My voice was gone, and I was struggling to get through the performances — I was still performing in Cabaret,” Emma told The Hollywood Reporter. “After Cabaret, I wasn’t sure if I would ever sing or dance again.”

In the late ’90s, Will Smith had just filmed Independence Day when he was offered a role in Men in Black. At that time, Will didn’t think it was wise to take on another alien-themed project so soon and expressed his concerns. However, Steven Spielberg was insistent and even sent a helicopter to persuade Will to meet with him. During their conversation, Will explained that he didn’t want to be typecast as “the alien guy,” but Steven managed to change his mind.

“He had me at ‘hello,’” Will told Kevin Hart during an episode of Hart to Heart.

Chris Evans almost declined his leading role as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Back in 2010, he was invited to audition for Captain America: The First Avenger, but he was dealing with anxiety issues. He had recently started experiencing “mini panic attacks” while on set and felt that taking on such a large film would be too much for him. Despite initially saying no to the audition, Marvel continued to pursue him. After discussing it with family, therapists, and co-stars, Chris realized he had been “making decisions based on fear” and ultimately accepted the role.

“It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I truly owe that to [Marvel president] Kevin Feige for being persistent and helping me avoid making a huge mistake,” Chris said on the Awards Chatter podcast.

Ewan McGregor almost missed out on joining the Star Wars franchise. When he was first offered the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan felt he was not suited for such a blockbuster film and considered himself more of an indie film actor. He was also concerned that the franchise was not well-received at the time, and he feared it might negatively impact his career.

“It wasn’t a done deal for me. I didn’t see it as who I was. I thought I was a Danny Boyle actor. The Beach was more significant, and I meant it, it wasn’t flippant. I did seek a lot of advice,” Ewan told Variety.

He continued, “When these films came out, they were so disliked. That was tough. The first one was panned, and we still had to make two more! It was strange to be in a movie that was hammered.”

When Amanda Seyfried was offered the role of Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout, she initially considered turning it down. Reflecting on her time living in Georgia while her husband was filming, Amanda didn’t want to be away from home any longer, especially during such difficult times.

“Listen, I was having a f–king moment, OK? I had COVID. I was isolating in the basement of a gross townhouse in Savannah, Georgia, because my husband was working on a film there. And now an LA shoot? No way!” Amanda shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

The following morning, she contacted her agents to express her change of heart and accepted the role, realizing the opportunity was too significant to pass up.