20 Actors Who Turned Down Major Movie Roles

The most famous case of an actor turning down a major role, Sean Connery was approached back in the early stages of making Fellowship of the Ring to portray Gandalf. Not only did he turn down the role, however, he also passed on the chance to earn 15% of the franchise's profits, missing out on almost $450 million.

So why would he turn the role down? As Connery himself puts it, he "never understood the script." He also said he had read the book and watched the film upon its release, and still didn't get it. The role of the wizard went to the irreplaceable Ian McKellen, who Connery has said was "terrific" in the role.

Despite not taking the role - and despite McKellen completely becoming the character - it's hard not to laugh thinking about how fun and weird it would be to hear Sean Connery yell "You shall not pass!" That would have been golden...