10 Movie Roles Obviously Designed For Other Actors
8. Deloris Wilson, Sister Act (1992) - Bette Midler
When screenwriter Paul Rudnick pitched the movie that would become Sister Act to producer Scott Rudin, it was with veteran actor and Broadway singer Bette Midler in mind. Midler, however, passed on the film, convinced for some reason that her fans wouldn't want to see her play a nun.
It made no sense: Deloris wasn't a nun, she was a brassy lounge singer forced to masquerade as Sister Mary Clarence while in witness protection, who uses her showbiz instincts to transform the fortunes of the convent's choir. The part wasn't just written for Midler, it was made for her.
Eventually the film went to Whoopi Goldberg: it also went through so many writers and so many drafts that Rudnick requested that he be credited with a pseudonym as it no longer resembled the movie he'd pitched.
You know what survived the rewrites? Deloris Wilson, aka Sister Mary Clarence... and the movie was a huge hit.