10 Roles You Didn't Know Robin Williams Almost Played

7. Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin

Yet another case of the director being convinced that a lesser known actor was better for the role, Williams would lose out on one of the greatest missed opportunities of his career to future Hollywood megastar Robert Downey Jnr. While the studio pressured director Richard Attenborough to go with a familiar face, a tried and tested comic actor like Williams, Steven Martin or Billy Crystal, the seasoned filmmaker was convinced that the young Downey Jnr, already saddled with the reputation of a troubled genius, was the man for the role. Seeing the movie now, and how completely RDJ owns the role and the film, it€™s difficult to argue that Attenborough was wrong €“ he even looks like Chaplin, while Williams was probably already too old. Nonetheless, the role was completely down Williams€™ street, incorporating aspects of the clown onstage and off as Williams had made his name doing for the last decade. A cinematic curio now, the €˜what if€™ potential for a Charlie Chaplin played by Robin Williams is still massive, even today.