10 Actors Who Got Paid To NOT Star In Movies

Life Of Pi was one of the most important films of 2012. Directed by acclaimed Taiwanese drama director Ang Lee and starring first time actor Suraj Sharma, Life Of Pi was unlike anything else that cinema had to offer in that year.

It felt fresh, original, and it lacked any ‘Hollywood’ cliches or certifiable star power outside of Gerard Depardieu, who by 2012 had become long forgotten by mainstream media. All of this was completely purposeful, however, as Lee wanted people to focus on the spiritual aspects of the story and not those who starred in it.

This is evidenced by the fact that although he had a part done and filmed for the movie, Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire was ultimately cut because he was deemed too big of a star for the ambitious movie. Maguire had worked with Lee before in 1997’s The Ice Storm, and this got him the role as the writer who interviews the adult Pi.

However, when Lee watched the film back in post-production, he believed that Maguire’s ‘star power’ was dwarfing the emotions of the scene.

Thus, Lee got British actor Rafe Spall to replace Maguire. In an interview after the fact, Lee said "I misjudged the situation I underestimated the power of stars…when it's a movie star sitting there, it captures attention. It didn't really work out."