10 Actors Who Must Regret Turning Down Major Film Roles

6. Jim Carrey - Jack Sparrow (Pirates Of The Caribbean)

Captain Jack Sparrow is easily one of the most movie popular, recognisable movie characters of the 21st century, and Johnny Depp has played him brilliantly, combining great humour and charm. His decision to base the character on Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones' legendary guitarist, was a masterstroke, and it's almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing the zany pirate. What many people don't know, however, is that Jim Carrey was actually director Gore Verbinksi's preferred choice for the role. He had been the biggest comedy actor on the planet during the mid 1990s, starring in The Mask, Dumb And Dumber and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, but by 2002 he wasn't quite as prolific as he had been. His amazing energy, charisma and comic brilliance made him perfect to play Sparrow in the eyes of Verbinski though. As it happened, filming for The Curse Of The Black Pearl clashed with Carrey's comedy Bruce Almighty, meaning The Truman Show star had to frustratingly turn down the role. Despite Bruce Almighty's success, had he been able to play Sparrow it would have been huge for him, both in terms of money and his popularity. The Pirates Of The Caribbean movies have grossed over one billion dollars worldwide, and they have made Depp one of the world's most bankable movie stars.