8 Actors Who Seriously Regret Turning Down Iconic Movie Roles

4. Ellen Burstyn - Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Though Louise Fletcher never had another part that resonated as much as her role in Milos Forman's classic picture One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest did, it's impossible to imagine anyone else doing quite as good a job - sitting down to the movie, it feels as though the part of the evil Nurse Ratched was written entirely for her. You simply can't picture another actress starring alongside the great Jack Nicholson, willing you to hate her so much.

But Fletcher wasn't the first choice for the part; it was actress Ellen Burstyn, who has gone on to have a long and successful career on the stage and screen. Interestingly, Burstyn and Fletcher look similar, so it makes sense that the studio went to Fletcher after Burstyn turned down the part. Unfortunately, Burstyn cites this as the biggest regret of her career:

"I probably should have taken One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I was offered the Nurse. It was a mistake, but I was spending a lot of time in mental wards at the time with my sick husband, and I didn't wanna go work in one."

It's a good enough reason to have turned down the role, obviously, but Fletcher won an Academy Award for her turn in Cuckoo's Nest. Chances are that - had she taken on the iconic character - Burstyn might have ended up receiving the same accolade. D'oh!