10 Actors Who Passed On Iconic Movie Roles
6. Michelle Pfeiffer – Clarice Starling In The Silence Of The Lambs
Yes, that’s right. Along with Anthony Hopkins nearly missing out on Lecter, it’s entirely possible that Jodie Foster could’ve missed her chance to bag an Academy Award for her role as Clarice Starling in the same film.
Director Jonathan Demme revealed in 2014 that he did not initially think Foster was right for the role, despite his producers insisting otherwise. They were convinced that her Oscar-winning performance in 1988’s The Accused warranted her being cast in this role too. Demme disagreed and approached Michelle Pfeiffer instead. Like Gene Hackman before her, Pfeiffer was also put off by the darkness of the film and turned it down.
Demme next tried to cast Laura Dern but she was vetoed by the producers for being too much of an unknown. Finally, he caved and offered Jodie the role after she kept pursuing him about the opportunity. And all of film is glad that he did.
As Demme himself said, “I fell madly in love with her… I named our production company Strong Heart Productions after Jodie’s sense of character.” Well said.