8 Actors Who Seriously Regret Turning Down Iconic Movie Roles
6. Josh Hartnett - Bruce Wayne (Batman Begins)
And the award for dumbest career move of all-time goes to...
Josh Hartnett could have been Batman. And not Val Kilmer-era Batman, or George Clooney-era Batman, but Christopher Nolan-era Batman. Seriously.
Before Christian Bale was cast in the insanely iconic role (and in some of the most critically-acclaimed films of recent times, no less), Christopher Nolan approached a young Josh Hartnett as a potential Bruce Wayne for his top-down Batman reboot.
Back then, Hartnett was still considered an up and comer with a lot of potential, and given that he turned the role down, he clearly thought he had a lot of career prospects. Hartnett's career later floundered, as we all know, and he now exists as one of those actors who stuck in that awkward place where Hollywood doesn't seem to know what to do with him.
Because of that, then, Hartnett deeply regrets turning down the role. Like, a lot. Speaking out against his decision to turn down Batman, he said:
"I said no because I was tired and wanted to spend more time with my friends and family. Thats frowned upon in this industry. People dont like being told no. I dont like it. I learned my lesson when Christopher Nolan and I talked about Batman. I decided it wasnt for me. I should have been part of the relationship with this guy Nolan, who I felt was incredibly cool and very talented. I was so focused on not being pigeonholed and so scared of being considered only one thing as an actor."
Being cast as Batman would have changed his career to an insane degree, marking him out as one of the most famous actors on the planet. Nowadays, people barely remember that he even is an actor. It must be incredibly painful to have watched Batman soar so high - surely being pigeonholed would have been a whole lot better than being forgotten?