1. Will Smith - Django Unchained
Word on the street is that Will Smith passed on Django Unchained because he felt that Django (despite his name being in the title) was not the main character of the film, and that he was only really available for leading roles at this point in his career. Uh-huh. First of all, let's check our star status for a minute. Tell me about all these offers for leading roles that you've been getting. Because all I see on your IMDB page is a bunch of sequels from back when you were a movie star. Face it, Will -- those days are nearing an end. You're not getting any younger, and getting a big role (sure, maybe not the
lead) in a Quentin Tarantino film would have been a huge step towards the next stage in your career. You think you can keep playing the wise-cracking action hero forever? Django would have given you instant credibility at a crucial point in your career. Smart actors will take smaller roles in good films to stay relevant -- consider, for example, Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder. I don't say this often, but you should sit down with your Scientology buddy and take some notes.