5. Leonardo DiCaprio in American Psycho.
Lionsgate wanted more star power for this book adaption, and Christian Bale was just starting out, so the studio suggested Leonardo DiCaprio for the role. However, Bale was director Mary Harron’s first choice, and was reluctant to give him up. Had the studio gone with DiCaprio, they would lose their director, so they decided to stick with Harron/Bale and go for a smaller budget film.
6. Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones
Tom Selleck was given the tough choice of deciding between Indiana Jones and Magnum P.I. Of course, he chose Magnum P.I., which made him a household name. However, while he’s got an integral place in television history, his movie career never took off. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford played Indy, and has been a Hollywood mainstay ever since.
7. Bette Midler in Sister Act.
Whoopi Goldberg’s black jokes were originally written as Jewish jokes, as Bette Midler was the first choice for the starring role. Midler didn’t feel her fans could see her as a nun, so she chose to turn down the role. This was the film that springboarded Whoopi from a streak of Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations to her first Best Lead Actress nod.
8. Eric Stoltz (and John Lithgow) in Back to the Future
The first choices for Marty and Doc were Michael J. Fox and John Lithgow (3rd Rock From The Sun). Lithgow was unavailable, allowing Christopher Lloyd to take the role. Due to his commitment to Family Ties, MJF was unable to partake, so Eric Stoltz took the role instead. Stoltz actually filmed as Marty McFly for four weeks before director Robert Zemeckis felt he was wrong for the role. They were able to get Fox eventually, and Zemeckis and Stephen Spielberg spent $3 million to reshoot the scenes with Fox.