2. Ewan McGregor
Year Considered: 2005
Reason He Didn't Get The Role: Declined Due To Fear Of Typecasting The worst possible thing that could ever happen to any actor is that they're constantly typecast as a handsome secret agent who gets all the women, travels around the world to exotic locations, and gets to save the Earth from destruction on numerous occassions. Oh, wait: that's totally awesome, and absolutely any actor would be crazy not to want to be typecast in such a fashion. I mean, think of poor Steve Buscemi: he'd kill for typecasting like that, as opposed to "skinny, untrustworthy rat-faced character who will probably die." Anyway, there's a reason I've ended up ranting about Steve Buscemi (isn't there always?), and that's because Ewan McGregor reportedly turned down the role of James Bond in 2005 because it made him nervous about being typecast in the future. Though I don't necessarily understand what he might've meant by that (Bond would have likely opened up in more roles for the actor, no?), it's hard not to admire a man who turns down a role as huge as this. I'm sending you my admiration, Ewan. Can you feel it?