10 Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Roles For Stupid Reasons

2. Christina Applegate Was Scared Of Being Typecast - Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)

The Role

Elle Woods, a seemingly stereotypically ditzy sorority girl who, in an attempt to win her ex-boyfriend back and be taken more seriously, enrols at Harvard Law School.

The part inevitably went to Reese Witherspoon for both theatrically-released movies, and she's set to reprise the role for an upcoming third film, but it was previously turned down by the terrific Christina Applegate.

Why She Turned It Down

Applegate, who had just spent a decade playing dumb blonde Kelly Bundy on the hit show Married...with Children, was worried that taking such a role would result in her being typecast in movies.

Applegate said, "The script came along my way and it was right after I had just finished, Married [...with Children], and it was a blonde who in that first script didn't win it but ends up going to Yale, or Harvard, I don't remember...I got scared of kind of repeating myself."

That of course entirely glosses over the fact that Legally Blonde is actually concerned with subverting expectations and making Elle a smart, resourceful and relatable character.

The actress has since expressed her regret, adding, "What a stupid move that was, right?", and while she might've missed out on the mega-bucks that Witherspoon ended up with - not to mention the major profile boost - she's enjoyed pretty consistent work across TV and film regardless.

Witherspoon really made the role her own so it's tough to imagine Applegate pulling it off in quite the same way, honestly.