Connery as Gandalf? He wasn’t the only one who refused a large sum of money. Who could play the iconic roles?

Although the film world has its own rules, some issues remain unchanged, such as the scandalous differences between salaries for women and men. Nevertheless, actors with an unwavering position in the industry can afford to negotiate outrageous rates, even for episodic roles. However, not everyone uses their fame and popularity to make a fortune. Which stars gave up lucrative offers?

They could have played in cult productions, but they refused. How much money did they miss?

He is one of the most popular and sought-after actors in Hollywood, so it is no wonder that he rejects some of the offers he receives early on. Years ago, he resigned from, among others, the role of Anakin Skywalker in the cult films or Hans Landa in “Inglourious Basterds”, but the greatest surprise is the fact that he did not want to play in the legendary “American Psycho”. It turns out that he was one of the candidates considered for the role of Patrick Bateman. Although he was offered as much as $21 million in remuneration, he refused for fear that the controversial storyline might negatively affect his career and reputation.

is undoubtedly one of his best films, but the role of the main character was inherited from Johnny Travolta. He was the first choice of director Robert Zemeckis. However, he could not take up this challenge because a moment earlier he had been entrusted with creating the character of Vincent Vega in the cult “Pulp Fiction”. Thus, he lost the chance to earn an additional $70 million.

They got roles in the cult trilogy. The reasons for the refusal are surprising

Thanks to Ian McKellen’s excellent acting, Gandalf from the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy has permanently entered the history of cinema and has become an undisputed icon of pop culture. Few people know that initially the director, Peter Jackson, wanted to cast a Scottish actor, Sean Connery, in this role. However, he did not accept the offer because he would have to move to New Zealand while working on the set, which was not convenient for him. He wasn’t even convinced by the staggering salary of $30 million or the bonus of 15% of all the film’s earnings.

But that’s not the end. The star, Russell Crowe, was also supposed to appear in the Middle-earth universe and was planned to play the role of Aragorn. They tried to appease his initial reluctance by offering him a bid of $100 million. However, he was adamant and ultimately the negotiations came to nothing. Years later, he revealed that the reason for this decision was pride, because from the first conversation with the director he had the impression that the director did not really want to hire him.