10 Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Roles For Stupid Reasons

8. Olivia Munn Didn't Want To Be "Eye Candy" - Vanessa Carlysle (Deadpool)

X-Men Apocalypse Psylocke Deadpool Vanessa
Fox

The Role

Deadpool's (Ryan Reynolds) put-upon girlfriend Vanessa, best remembered for treating Wade to a pegging session and getting put in harm's way quite often.

Before Morena Baccarin made the role her own, it had been turned down by Fox's first choice, Olivia Munn.

Why She Turned It Down

Shortly after Deadpool's release, Munn was vocal about saying she turned the role down because she didn't want to play the girlfriend character yet again, and was disappointed that Vanessa wasn't given any opportunities to be physical throughout the film.

So far, so reasonable, right?

Fox was still interested in Munn and offered her a role in another X-Men movie, X-Men: Apocalypse, which was shooting at roughly the same time as Deadpool.

That role was supermutant Psylocke, which Munn contrasted with the role of Vanessa by noting the added physicality and also the fact that she wasn't simply being used as "eye candy."

Except, anyone who's seen X-Men: Apocalypse probably won't remember much about Psylocke as a character or a superhero, and mostly just recall that she's featured in a skimpy outfit and a number of suggestive poses with camera set-ups designed to emphasise Munn's physical attributes.

Given that Psylocke was never used again in the X-Men movies but Vanessa clearly isn't going anywhere, the actress certainly bet on the wrong horse.

Plus, Vanessa was only temporary killed in Deadpool 2 due to Baccarin's scheduling conflicts, so if Munn had taken the part and been available for the sequel, it's entirely possible that Vanessa would've joined the X-Force as Copycat rather than stuffed into the fridge for two hours.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.