Finding out which actors could have headlined in some of fans' favorite films can be fascinating. In a lot of cases, it's strange to think that some other famous face could've been a character that's basically gone down in history.
But in other cases, it's a bit of a bummer learning that a director or studio wanted a particular actor for a role, but couldn't make it happen. As it turns out, it happens more frequently than fans may have realized.
There are tons of instances of one actor turning down a role (for a variety of reasons) and another swooping in to pick it up -- and run all the way to the bank. In other cases, a famous face may audition for a role, and wind up somewhere completely different (or even without an offer at all).
Even one 'Friends' star almost had an entirely different role than she auditioned for, and had things progressed the way she'd hoped, the show would have been fundamentally different.
An excellent example is that time Jim Carrey turned down two roles, and Tim Allen wound up picking them both up. Let's just say, Tim turned at least one of the opportunities into a lucrative, almost lifetime project.
Unfortunately for Carrey, the same thing has happened to him with other roles he's said no to.
Splitsider recapped that time Jim Carrey said no to a film because he was already slated to work on 'Liar Liar.' In fact, he could've had a career-defining role in a specific franchise.
That film, says Splitsider, was 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.' Fans know that the Austin Powers franchise went on to include three films (with an as-yet rumored fourth perpetually "in development").
The truth behind the casting, though, is that Mike Myers, who produced and starred in the films, didn't intend to play more than one character. Fans may also recall that Myers had four roles across the three films, including both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil.
Truth is, he wanted Jim Carrey to play Dr. Evil -- a casting decision that could've led to even more notoriety for Carrey.
But because Carrey was already signed onto 'Liar Liar' that same year, and scheduling conflicts meant he had to refuse the opportunity. Fortunately for the actor, the 1997 role did "put him front and center," notes Splitsider.
Arguably, Carrey played plenty of parts that put him on fans' radars, and he's been successful in all the years since. But thinking about how 'Austin Powers' could've been different with Jim as Dr. Evil is an interesting proposition!
