10 Actors Who Must Regret Turning Down Major Film Roles

9. Meg Ryan - Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman)

Meg Ryan was a big star in the late 1980s and early 1990s, starring in great romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail and Sleepless In Seattle. Her decision to turn down the role of Vivian Ward, a Hollywood prostitute hired by a rich businessman played by Richard Gere, is one that she surely rues to this day though. Garry Marshall, Pretty Woman's director, had Ryan as his first-choice for the role, but she declined the offer, with Julia Roberts taking it instead. Ryan was still looking for an Academy Award nomination at that point, and little did she know, had she accepted the role of Ward, there is every chance she would have broken her duck. Roberts was the recipient of an Oscar nomination and it proved to be a catalyst in making her a huge star. The film took almost $500m worldwide, and is seen as one of the finest romantic comedies of the last 25 years. Ryan's career, meanwhile, has stalled since that point, and she appears to be drifting more and more out of the public eye by the year.