10 Actors Who Turned Down Star Trek
8. Yaphet Kotto Declines Picard!
You likely recognise the fantastic Yaphet Kotto from another classic Sci-Fi property, the first Alien movie. Kotto played the role of Parker in 1979 horror flick and went on to become synonymous with the part. But it turns out that he could have been associated not only with the name of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but its gracious leader, Jean-Luc Picard.
There were a fair few contenders for the classic role that would go to Patrick Stewart in the end, and this charismatic presence was one of the forerunners. However, he chose to withdraw his name from the competition, as he wanted to stick to the movie industry and avoid working on TV.
In an interview with The Big Issue Kotto discussed how he regrets walking away from the legendary franchise and claims that "when you're making movies, you'd tend to say no to TV." While it's understandable that he wanted to stick to the big screen, he must have been kicking himself for having made this decision. Still, at least he's got the Alien franchise to feel proud of.