4 Actors Who Later Admitted They Regretted Passing On A Franchise Role
Not just turned down โ publicly, on the record, regretted.
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Will Smith confirmed he regrets passing on The Matrix
Smith confirmed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he regrets turning down Neo, saying his concerns about the film's then-unproven visual effects and fear of typecasting after a run of sci-fi roles led him to pass. He chose Wild Wild West instead.
Burt Reynolds said he wishes he'd played Han Solo
Reynolds told Business Insider in 2016 that he was offered Han Solo and turned it down because he "didn't want to play that kind of role at the time," adding plainly: "Now I regret it. I wish I would have done it."
Madonna admitted she turned down a role in The Matrix
On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2021, Madonna confirmed the long-running rumor that she'd been offered a role in The Matrix and turned it down โ a decision she said she came to regret.
Matt Damon calls skipping Avatar his biggest career regret
Damon has said turning down the lead role in Avatar is his biggest career regret, having missed the chance to work with James Cameron on what became one of the highest-grossing films ever made. Sam Worthington took the role instead.
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