10 Actors That Gambled Their Careers By NOT Taking Huge Movie Roles
7. Michelle Pfeiffer - Clarice In Silence Of The Lambs
Silence Of The Lambs is one the most iconic Horror movies of all time. We've all seen it, we've all memed it and quoted it and we've all had sleepless nights worrying about the existence of a real-life Hannibal Lecter.
Likewise, Jodie Foster's name has become iconic too, and synonymous with her character Clarice in the movie. Her performance in the chilling movie adaptation garnered her a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
But, like the other success stories on this list, Foster almost missed out on all of that because of another actress.
Michelle Pfieffer was originally offered the role of the determined FBI agent, but she turned it down after reading the script, saying that it was "too evil" and that the ending gave a message that evil always wins, a message she ultimately didn't want to be a part of.
Instead, Pfieffer took a role in the rom-com: Frankie and Johnny. This was a movie that critics promptly forgot about and made a measly profit in comparison to the "evil" movie that the actress rejected.
Pfieffer's risk definitely didn't pay off, but at least she didn't ruin her entire career because of it. Her name, while not as recognised as Fosters, still holds some weight in Hollywood, and she went on to Batman Returns a year later.