Every Movie Role Tom Hanks Turned Down!
10. Gangs Of New York - Bill "The Butcher" Cutting
Though it's hard to imagine anyone other than the electrifying Daniel Day-Lewis hurling knives and slicing up pigs in Martin Scorsese's 2002 epic Gangs of New York, there was a time when the role of Bill "The Butcher" Cutting nearly ended up being played by a few other legendary names.
Robert De Niro and Willem Dafoe were both attached to step into Bill's shoes at different stages. According to Scorsese, Tom Hanks was also a big fan of the script that had been put together, he just couldn't commit to the project due to his leading role in Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition.
Hanks clearly had his heart set on bringing Michael Sullivan to life in Mendes' crime drama, with the actor confessing:
"I just got this guy. If you're a man, and you've got offspring ... emotionally, it's devastating."
So, with Day-Lewis in the drivers seat, Bill "The Butcher" was added to the Englishman's illustrious back catalogue of deeply complex and compelling characters, earning the actor another Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. But, Hanks also drew critical acclaim for his turn alongside the likes of Paul Newman and Daniel Craig in the Mendes feature. So both actors enjoyed a rather successful 2002, in truth.