10 Actors Who Originally Turned Down Their Most Iconic Roles

10. Robert Shaw Turned Down Quint Because He Hated The Novel - Jaws

There are three pillars of greatness that ensure Jaws still stands as a masterful slice of filmmaking brilliance: Steven Spielberg's pitch-perfect direction, John Williams' iconic score, and Robert Shaw's unforgettable performance as grizzled shark hunter Quint.

Originally, though, Shaw turned down Spielberg's request that he play Quint, because he hated the original novel!

Shaw wasn't the only one who had a problem with Peter Benchley's book, though; it's a well-held belief that Spielberg's real genius was turning an entertaining but ultimately trashy pulp novel into something more artful, so it's not all that surprising that Shaw thought the work was beneath him.

The actor was eventually won around on the insistence of his wife and secretary, and on the basis that he was able to rewrite some of his dialogue, which ultimately led to Shaw penning a large portion of the infamous U.S.S. Indianapolis speech - perhaps the greatest segment of the entire film.

So we have Shaw's wife and secretary to thank for making Jaws into a classic.