9 Actors Who Quit Major Film Roles

4. James Purefoy €“- V For Vendetta

Warner Bros.

There must've come a point in V For Vendetta's filming where James Purefoy cursed the fans of the graphic novel for loving V's iconic mask. I know that last sentence sounds strange, because as every man and his dog knows, Hugo Weaving was V, and his dulcet tones livened up that film no end. Yet for a little while, it wasn't Agent Smith behind the mask -€“ it was Purefoy, attempting to crack into the lucrative comic-book-movie market.

He eventually left after a struggle with the role that seemed to come down to the mask, and the fact he felt it obscured him almost too much. Being honest, I don't blame Purefoy at all. Being under the warm lights of a shoot in that stiflingly hot black costume, anyone could feel like they were getting a bum deal. Couple this with the fact that no-one will be able to recognise you at any point during the film, and you had a recipe for disaster.

All he wanted was a little face time, or maybe just an eye shot, but he sure as hell wasn't going to get it; everyone learnt their lesson when Sylvester Stallone removed his helmet in Judge Dredd, and none of the filmmakers fancied angering a legion of fans all over again. So naturally, Purefoy left.

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Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.