10 Actors Who Turned Down Iconic TV Roles For Stupid Reasons
9. Jon Cryer - Chandler Bing (Friends)
As noted in the introduction, it really is impossible to think of other actors in the shoes of our favourite characters. For any sitcom fan, Chandler Bing is Matthew Perry, and Matthew Perry is Chandler Bing. There couldn't possibly be someone out there who could pull off Friends' number one funny man like Perry did, could there?
Well, the studios certainly thought so, as their first choice for the role was Jon Cryer. Notable at the time for his roles in Pretty In Pink (1986) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987), Cryer was approached to take the part of everyone's favourite sarcasm king, but turned it down because he considered himself too serious an actor.
That's right, Lenny Luthor, with that haircut, thought that starring in a sitcom wouldn't work because he preferred serious roles. Apparently.
He would later go on to star opposite Charlie Sheen (and Ashton Kutcher) in the long-running sitcom Two and a Half Men, so maybe he regrets not taking the role after all.