10 Actors Who Turned Down The Decade's Biggest TV Shows

8. Dana Delany - Bree Van De Kamp (Desperate Housewives)

Dana Delany was so sought-after for the role of Desperate Housewives' prickly Bree Van de Kamp that after auditioning, she was offered the part three times, and each time turned it down, claiming that she thought the role was just too similar to her character on the 2001 TV series Pasadena. The role eventually went to Marcia Cross, and Delany later admitted regretting not taking the part. However, she ended up appearing on the show for a lengthy run as icy domestic goddess Katherine Mayfair, and somewhat aptly spent much of her screen time feuding with Bree. Would It Have Worked? Delany's performance was one of the most-praised aspects of the mid-section of Desperate Housewives, and with good reason. Series creator Marc Cherry credited her with delivering "a fantastic audition" for the original Bree role, and as such there's little doubt that she would've absolute run away with the part. Still, it's hard to imagine anyone but Cross playing the part because it's so closely identified with her as a performer.