10 HUGE Movie Roles Actors Were Too Scared To Take On

This one does sting, given the star’s more recent onscreen appearances. Jennifer Hudson had only just gotten her footing in Hollywood when she was offered the central role in an adaptation of Sapphire’s controversial, bleak novel Push. The actress had excelled alongside an all-star cast including Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls and, after losing significant weight in order to obtain that part, she was trepidatious about the thought of taking on the role as it would have required massive weight gain.

Ultimately Hudson passed on playing Precious, although she took care to note that the decision was not entirely based on the weight gain, citing the dark subject matter of the story as another reason as well as the physical challenges of the difficult but rewarding role. The part went to newcomer Gabourey Sibide who went onto earn critical acclaim for her work in the role, propelling her into stardom despite the film’s difficult content and punishing tone.

If only Hudson’s discerning palate has been in full effect when Tom Hooper offered her the role of Grizabella in Cats—if nothing else, almost empty multiplexes would have been spared the sight of the most snot-streaked cover of “Memory” in history.