10 Strangest Reasons Actors Turned Down Famous Movie Roles
1. Gale Sondergaard Didn't Like The Ugly Witch Makeup - The Wizard Of Oz
The Role
The Wicked Witch of the West, the impossibly iconic, green-faced villain from The Wizard of Oz, as remains a pop-culture mainstay more than 80 years after the film's release.
Oscar winner Gale Sondergaard was not only offered the part but actually initially accepted it, before eventually dropping out and being replaced by Margaret Hamilton.
Why She Turned It Down
When Sondergaard first signed on to play the witch, she was intended to serve as a glitzy homage to the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, with a conventionally attractive appearance to boot.
Sondergaard nevertheless went through make-up tests as both the glamorous witch and a more stereotypically "ugly" one, after which the filmmakers decided that they wanted the Wicked Witch to be more physically revolting.
With no desire to play this version of the character, Sondergaard dropped out and was replaced by Hamilton a mere three days before shooting began.
Despite the film's eventual success, Sondergaard had no regrets about dropping the part, insisting, "In those days I was not about to make myself ugly!"