When it comes to the world of Hollywood, one the biggest deciding factors between a classic movie and a Razzie nominee directly correlates to how well (or not!) its leading actors did in front of the camera. The same audience that praised Titantic thanks to a captivating chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are the same ones that ripped Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck to shreds over their universally panned 2003 rom-com, Gigli.
In short, it pays to choose your lead stars wisely!
That’s why it came as a rather interesting surprise to find out that Jordan Peele’s 2017 Oscar-winning thriller Get Out, which starred and made a star out of Daniel Kaluuya, almost had eclectic hip-hop veteran Kid Cudi in the lead role as Chris Washington.
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“I wish I got Get Out,” Cudi wrote to one fan during a session of #AskScott on social platform X last week (seen above), following up by adding, “I auditioned and Jordan was impressed and I thought I ate that shit up. I was so salty i didnt get it that I didnt even go see it in the theater when it was poppin.” [sic] Of course, the “Day ‘n’ Nite” emcee was a good sport about it all in the long run, summing up his message by also writing, “I watched it a year later at home pissed about that. I was sick haha but to be real, Daniel was the best choice hes a master and did a phenominal job.” [sic]
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The idea that Cudi could’ve very well been a “Best Actor” nominee (winner?) right now is intriguing to say the least, and obviously it got us thinking about all the other classic characters in film history who would’ve been played by a different actor if the cards played out a bit differently.
Take a look below at 15 of the most surprising lead movie roles that were recasted for the most surprising reasons. Hit us up with any we may have missed, and let us know whether or not you think any of these films would’ve been better with the original star:
1. Eddie Murphy as Winston Zeddemore in 'Ghostbusters' (1984)
Actor casted:
Ernie Hudson
2. Marlon Wayans as Robin in 'Batman Returns' (1992)
Actor casted:
Chris O’Donnell
3. Halle Berry as Annie Porter in 'Speed' (1994)
Actor casted:
Sandra Bullock
4. Dave Chappelle as Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue in 'Forest Gump' (1994)
Actor casted:
Mykelti Williamson
5. Tupac Shakur as Malik Williams in 'Higher Learning' (1995)
Actor casted:
Omar Epps
6. Denzel Washington as David Mills in 'Se7en' (1995)
“I was like, man, it’s just too much,” he at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday while promoting his new movie The Equalizer. “Then I saw [Se7en] and I was like, ‘Oh God.’” Washington said the film’s storyline had just appeared too overwhelming for him to be a part of, but the product that ended up on the big screen garnered his admiration.
“Evidently it wasn’t for me, it was for Brad all the time,” he said. “It was just too much when I read it, it was just different when I saw it.”
Actor casted:
Brad Pitt
7. Jamie Foxx as Rod Tidwell in 'Jerry Maguire' (1996)
Actor casted:
Cuba Gooding Jr.
8. Will Smith as Neo in 'The Matrix' (1999)
Actor casted:
Keanu Reeves
9. Angela Bassett as Storm in 'X-Men' (2000)
Actor casted:
Halle Berry
10. Nia Long as Alex Munday in 'Charlie's Angels' (2000)
Actor casted:
Lucy Liu
11. Aaliyah as Brenda Meeks In 'Scary Movie' (2000)
Actor casted:
Regina Hall
12. Wesley Snipes as John Shaft II in 'Shaft' (2000)
“There’s only one Shaft – Richard Rowndtree,” Snipes told reporters. “And if you’re going to do a remake there’s only one person that can do that – Snipes, period.” The actor claims that he was Universal studios’ first choice for the role, but was put off after reading the script. “I was offered the film and it was terrible, horrible. It was an insult not only to the African-American culture, but an insult to what the icon of Shaft was.”
Actor casted:
Samuel L. Jackson
13. Solange Knowles as Aqua Walker in 'The Cheetah Girls' (2003)
Actor casted:
Kiely Williams
14. Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Miller in 'Doubt' (2008)
