10 More Best Actor Replacements In Movies
Iconic movie roles that were almost played by someone completely different.
Advertising a movie's cast ahead of time is usually a great way of drumming up interest in an upcoming release, but sometimes, plans change.
Actors drop out of movies all the time, even after they've started filming them, which can sometimes even derail a project and leave its prospects in the dust.
Sometimes though, someone leaving after signing on to a film can be a blessing in disguise. Several of Hollywood's most iconic parts were once earmarked for someone other than who ended up playing them, which would have created a parallel world where, in all honesty, things wouldn't have been as good.
WhatCulture has already taken a look at 10 of the best actor replacements who swept up their productions and made movie history, but this phenomenon is just too big for one countdown. These stars were all parachuted in after another cast member left and, through their sheer talent and determination, made the part their own. In some cases, these roles helped launch their entire careers.
While it will never be known how well the original cast would have done had things not changed, chances are they wouldn't have come close to these iconic performances.
10. Sandra Bullock - Demolition Man
1993’s Demolition Man paired up Sylvester Stallone’s maverick cop John Spartan with Wesley Snipes’ psychotic criminal Simon Phoenix to great effect. After causing mayhem in their own time, the pair are cryogenically frozen and wake up in the future where, predictably, they end up causing more destruction.
Another key character in the tale is Lenina Huxley, who becomes Spartan’s love interest. She’s played by Sandra Bullock in what would be her big breakout role, but things almost shook out very differently.
Lori Petty was initially hired to play Huxley, but she only lasted two days on set before getting the boot. Producer John Silver cited “creative differences” as the reason for Petty’s departure, but the Point Break and Free Willy star has said that it was issues with Stallone that led to her sacking.
It’s hard to imagine Petty filling this role with the power of hindsight and even harder to imagine a Hollywood without Bullock. If she didn’t get this part, then the rest of her career might have looked very different.
Imagine a world without Miss Congeniality. What a horrible place that would be.