15. Gwyneth Paltrow - Rose DeWitt Bukater (Titanic)
The now often overlooked Shakespeare in Love star Gwyneth Paltrow was at one time James Cameron's preferred choice for the blockbuster character of Rose in the 1997 epic picture Titanic. Unbelievably Paltrow in a moment of unmitigated madness, rebuffed this legendary opportunity, simply stating that it just wasn't "her cup of tea." (Which pleads the question, "if thats not her cup of tea, then what is?") As we all know, she was superceded by upcoming star at the time Kate Winslet, whose performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio was merited with a debut Academy Award nomination. The role acted as ignition for Winslet's glowing Hollywood career that was to come and even Winslet herself stated that the role of Rose in Titanic has been the defining moment of her career to date. The film itself went on to be a worldwide phenomena. It now has a global gross of $1.8 billion, making it the second highest grossing film of all time, behind another James Cameron picture, Avatar, a title Titanic owned for over a decade. So perhaps in retrospect for Paltrow, turning down a starring role in this movie wasn't the smartest decision she's ever made. As well as squandering a fresh six figure income, this decision may have cost her a prolongued star status within Hollywood. All I can really say is that I hope this decision hasn't completely
wrecked her career!