7. Sean Connery Didn't Want To Learn The Mythology Of Lord Of The Rings
When The Lord Of The Rings trilogy entered production prior to its shoot that bridged 1999 and 2000, Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf. According to CNN, he was offered up to 15% of the global box office receipts for the films, on top of a guaranteed $4 million, which would have earned him something in the region of $400 million (assuming that the films would make the same amount of money with him in them instead of Ian McKellen). Connery turned down the role, claiming later that he never understood it despite reading the script, the books and eventually watching the films. It seems that he wasnt willing to sacrifice the time and effort necessary to wrap his head around the detailed mythology of J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle Earth saga, and resultantly missed out on what could have been one of the biggest roles of his career in terms of both money and critical acclaim. The franchise did fine with out him, and helped bring the wonder of Sir Ian McKellen to the masses in Connerys stead. Connery retired from film acting in 2003, (partially because he was finding things so confusing) which might have been a problem if he had played Gandalf when the Hobbit films came around in 2012, 2013 and 2014. From a personal standpoint, maybe he made the right choice.