10 Actors Who Thought OTHER Actors Were Better For Their Role
4. Christopher Eccleston - Gone In 60 Seconds
Christopher Eccleston is one of the most outspoken actors you'll find anywhere: he's freely criticised the BBC for apparently blacklisting him after quitting Doctor Who, while also railing against his work on both G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra ("I just wanted to cut my throat every day") and Thor: The Dark World ("Just a gun in your mouth.")
Eccleston's role in 2000's Gone In 60 Seconds seemed to mark his Hollywood breakthrough, and though the actor called working on the movie a "good experience," he also minced no words about how poorly-suited he was for the part.
In his recent autobiography, he said his decision to play Brit gangster Raymond Calitri was "cynical", "idiotic" and "taken for the wrong reasons."
Despite expressing gratitude that he was allowed to speak in the movie with his natural Salford twang, he admitted he was only in it for the money, dubbing his work "hollow" and adding, "I hated myself so much I could barely look at my own reflection without wincing."
Given his vocal aversion to playing generic British gangster baddies, he stated that playing Calitri "cocked up" his film career, and he evidently sees the part as more suitable for any number of jobbing Brit character actors.