Every Movie Role Tom Hanks Turned Down!

Nope, that most definitely is not a typo. The star of one of the most well-known dramedys of all time actually wasn't originally available to play the part of Josh Baskin in Big due to scheduling conflicts.

Hanks was filming the likes of Dragnet and Punchline at the time, so Robert De Niro was instead positioned as the actor for the job. However, the Taxi Driver and Raging Bull star's wage demands were seen as too high, so he was soon dropped as a potential Baskin. Other names such as Kevin Costner, John Travolta and Sean Penn were also considered, but Penny Marshall's first choice thankfully became available again before the project began shooting, so Hanks was finally brought back in.

His breakout performance, as a child magically turned into an adult overnight, eventually led to his first ever Academy Award nomination and set the stage for what would become one of the most illustrious careers in cinema history.

Would Big have worked as well with someone like De Niro, Costner, Travolta or Penn at the wheel? It's hard to say, but fate was clearly on Hanks' side and his heart-warming/breaking performance as an adult Baskin is still as convincing today as it was all those years ago.