10 Movie Roles That Almost Were Cast VERY Differently

Best known for her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Audrey Hepburn had a long and varied career of romantic comedies, musicals and drama before she entered semi-retirement in 1967. This followed her excellent performance as the terrorised but resourceful Susy Hendrix in home invasion thriller Wait Until Dark.

It may have been this role that caught the attention of William Friedkin when casting The Exorcist. It was a decision fully supported by Warner Brothers given Hepburn's legacy and bankability. It's a fascinating concept and it's easy to see how Hepburn's involvement would solicit the required anxiety and horror from the audience. You can't say "c***ing" to Holly Golightly!

It's hard to imagine just how much of Friedkin's stunts she would have put it up with, though. Firing guns on set, pulling around his lead actress on a harness, slapping the actor playing Father Kallas across the face to get a genuine reaction. However, Hepburn would only do the film if they filmed in Rome, and therefore never took the role. In the end Friedkin cast Ellen Burstyn and put her through hell instead.