# Roles/characters actors should have taken but it didnt happen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [September 2, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829 "2022-09-02T18:18:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/1 "2022-09-02T18:18:26Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Long-running characters closely associated with a non-originating actor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/39):0 I made this remark when discussing dr strange : I always thought vincent price would have been unspeakably great as doctor strange as it always seemed to me that’s who they based the character on in the comic books Name someone who should have taken been offered a role they would of been great at but it never happened ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/2 "2022-09-02T18:32:58Z")
Humphrey Bogart would have played a great returning vet in _The Best Years of Our Lives_. His face was a roadmap of disillusionment. And for a real outlier, Benji in The _Doberman Gang_. He would have been a great counterpoint as “the friendly mutt” to the dobermans. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/3 "2022-09-02T18:34:34Z")
Katie Holmes should definitely have continued as Rachel in _The Dark Knight._ Maggie Gylenhaal did a horrific job. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/4 "2022-09-02T18:35:03Z")
Val Kilmer auditioned for the part of Pvt. Joker in **Full Metal Jacket**. Apparently Kilmer felt Mathew Modine stole the part from him and challenged him to a fistfight in a restaurant. Mathew gave a fine performance, but Val could have kicked it up a notch. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/5 "2022-09-02T18:37:04Z")
In the late 1960s, there was talk of Chuck Connors playing Doc Savage. It might have been just as bad as the Ron Ely film we ended up with, but it could have been awesome. Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in _Lord of the Rings_, because he didn’t understand the script. He could have been awesome. Sean Connery was offered the role of Tarzan in _Tarzan the Magnificent_, but he had already committed to making _Doctor No_. After Bond became a hit, the Tarzan producers couldn’t afford him. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/6 "2022-09-02T18:51:08Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in _Lord of the Rings_, because he didn’t understand the script. Which version are we talking about here? If it was Bakshi’s script, then I don’t blame him. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/7 "2022-09-02T18:52:51Z")
No, it was the Jackson version. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/8 "2022-09-02T19:29:11Z")
There should totally have been an Ensign Ro character on _ST:Voyager_ played by the wonderful Michelle Forbes. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/9 "2022-09-02T19:43:31Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in _Lord of the Rings_, because he didn’t understand the script. He didn’t understand the script for _League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ either, hated the director, and hated the final product. It actually convinced him to retire from acting (well, he was having health issues too, but this epically crappy movie certainly didn’t encourage him to continue). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/10 "2022-09-02T19:56:02Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > There should totally have been an Ensign Ro character on _ST:Voyager_ played by the wonderful Michelle Forbes. Actually, Ro Laren was supposed to be the second-in-command on Deep Space Nine, but Forbes didn’t want to commit to the series, so they reworked the character as Major Kira and cast Nana Visitor. Ro Laren on DS9 would have been awesome. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/11 "2022-09-02T20:02:28Z")
Clive Owen would have been a great James Bond, but reportedly he never wanted it. When a female Doctor was announced, I was really rooting for Sinead Keenan from _Being Human_. Sardonic and funny, she could do both action and heavy drama, and she would have been terrific. I did like Jodie Whittaker ultimately, even if she was let down by crap scripts. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/12 "2022-09-02T20:03:27Z")
Although Sinestro’s look was based on David Niven, Zachary Scott would have been ideal to play him: > **[Zachary Scott](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0779923/mediaviewer/rm962130433?ref_=nmmi_mi_all_sf_3)** > > Zachary Scott in The Unfaithful (1947) Clint Eastwood as Mr. A would have been awesome - [Brand Echh – Witzend #3 – The Tom Brevoort Experience](https://tombrevoort.com/2019/12/29/brand-echh-witzend-3/) Dustin Hoffman as [Mole Man - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_Man) would be an impeccable match-up of actor and role. There’s still time for him to do it. > [@mbh](#): > > Sean Connery was offered the role of Tarzan in _Tarzan the Magnificent_, but he had already committed to making _Doctor No_. After Bond became a hit, the Tarzan producers couldn’t afford him. For completist purposes, note that Connery did appear as a henchman in _Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure_ (1959). Hard to imagine him as Tarzan with his accent and toupee. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/13 "2022-09-02T21:30:17Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I always thought vincent price would have been unspeakably great as doctor strange as it always seemed to me that’s who they based the character on in the comic books The concept was based on the radio drama [Chandu the Magician](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandu_the_Magician) that Stan Lee enjoyed as a kid. But his appearance was based on Price. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/PanelStrangeTales-110.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/PanelStrangeTales-110.jpg) [![](https://s-yimg-com.cdn.ampproject.org/ii/w820/s/s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DrG4iCaEF6inoE2WkpLogQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTUwOA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/en-CA/blogs/wide-screen/131024b-vincent-price.jpg) ](https://s-yimg-com.cdn.ampproject.org/ii/w820/s/s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DrG4iCaEF6inoE2WkpLogQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTUwOA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/en-CA/blogs/wide-screen/131024b-vincent-price.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/14 "2022-09-02T21:40:01Z")
Another thread with the requisite TV Tropes link. > **[What Could Have Been - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatCouldHaveBeen)** > > This is when directors or writers release details about plots, characters, backstories, or other elements they thought about adding to the story at one point but ultimately never did. Unlike All There in the Manual, however, this new information … ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2022, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/15 "2022-09-03T04:00:23Z")
The legendary British comedian Peter Cook turned down the title role in Dr Strangelove. While Peter Sellers take on the character is iconic, I would like to see the “alternative universe” version with Peter Cook. He never really made it in Hollywood (with the exception of the priest in Princess Bride) and descended in alcoholism after that (not helped by his chagrin at his former comedy partner Dudley Moore who had great success) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2022, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/16 "2022-09-03T04:52:24Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > …and descended in alcoholism after that You say this like its a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2022, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/17 "2022-09-03T06:08:47Z")
John Lithgow turned down the role of Frasier Crane on _Cheers_. Kelsey Grammer really nailed the role, and went on to play it for 20 years, thanks to the spin-off _Frasier_. IMHO, Lithgow would have been just as good as Frasier, though probably in a different way. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/18 "2022-09-03T21:45:20Z")
when 3rd rock from the sun was on the same time Frasier someone joked Lithgow should of been Frasier’s older brother ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/19 "2022-09-04T09:22:06Z")
Uma Thurman is a fine actress, but she’s no Emma Peel. That role in the Avengers movie should have gone to Elizabeth Hurley. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829/20 "2022-09-04T17:03:16Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The concept was based on the radio drama [Chandu the Magician](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandu_the_Magician) that Stan Lee enjoyed as a kid. But his appearance was based on Price. In the first several stories Ditko seemed to think the character was Asian. I’m not sure there was an intentional resemblance to Vincent Price especially if the source for that is a notorious confabulist like Stan Lee. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roles-characters-actors-should-have-taken-but-it-didnt-happen/970829.md?page=2)