10 Actors Who Were Too Scared To Accept Movie Roles
2. Jude Law Was Scared Of The Pressure Of Playing Superman
Getting to play a superhero on the level of Superman or Batman is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you'd think that most actors would jump at the chance.
Well... some don't.
Just ask Jude Law, who came startlingly close to bagging the title role in 2006's Superman Returns, only to back out at the last minute.
Director Bryan Singer was eager for Law to be his Man of Steel, and he attempted to convince the actor by sending him the costume to try on. But in an odd twist, it was actually the costume that made Law realise he shouldn't accept Singer's offer, with the star realising just how much pressure he'd be putting on his shoulders:
“I take the suit into the bathroom and I’m putting it on and I look around and I look in the mirror and suddenly I’m Superman... then I have this picture of me in that costume in posters all over the world and I was like, ‘No way!’ And I unzipped it. But I was Superman for two minutes, that was enough.”
In addition, Law admitted that he "just didn't fancy" the outfit, and hey, who in their right mind would agree to wear their underpants on top of a skintight suit?