10 Actors Who Originally Turned Down Their Most Iconic Roles

For any jobbing actor, the thought of turning down a role - no matter how small - is likely to be deemed "unwise," but turning down a large part in a major blockbuster? Well, that's just madness! And yet it does happen - actors turn down huge roles all the time. It's part and parcel of the motion picture business.

In Hollywood, though, minds are easily swayed; offers of more money, advice from friends or family, or a famous director's careful persuasion... it's always possible for an actor to come around to a role that they originally rejected.

If somebody makes it known that they want and believe in you, then it's a lot easier to envision yourself in a part, after all; in addition to a hefty sum of money, getting an actor to accept a role requires a lot of ego work on the part of a filmmaker or studio - a small price to pay, perhaps, if they're convinced it'll make for a better film... or larger profits.

The following 10 actors initially turned down some of their most famous roles, only to discover that it wasn't that easy for them to refuse. In retrospect, most of these guys are probably appreciative for the perseverance that followed their decision to turn down said parts, because these roles went on to become insanely iconic...

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.