6. Ralph Macchio - Back to the Future
Today, we remember Ralph Macchio almost exclusively for his work in The Karate Kid, but it's surprising to think how close he was to the other gigantic franchise of the 1980s. Most people know the story of how Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. They shot part of the movie, it wasn't working, they recast the role with Michael J. Fox, and the rest is history. But before any of that happened, Ralph Macchio was a contender for the part. Or would have been, if he'd actually taken the time to read the script properly. He's gone on record saying that he turned down the role because at the time, he thought it was just about "a kid, a car, and plutonium pills". Uh...ok?