10 Actors Who Turned Down Voicing Characters On The Simpsons
9. Sir Michael Caine
One of British cinema's greatest minds, Sir Michael Caine's exemplary body of work dates back to the forties, but a ticket to Springfield was not an offer he was willing to accept.
Desperately wanted by the writers for the hilarious season five episode Homer And Apu, as detailed by David Mirkin on the season's DVD release, the role would have seen the legendary Dark Knight actor star as Apu's celebrity apprentice. Once he rejected the offer, the role was rewritten to have James Woods slot in instead.
This turned out to be a bittersweet moment, however, as although Caine no doubt would have added his own touch to the character, Woods was almost too perfect, nailing each of the narrative and character-centric beats seamlessly in a lively self-parody that led him to future success on Family Guy. He outshone everything the episode encompassed, providing one of the show's earliest outstanding guest performances.
Why, exactly, Michael Caine declined the opportunity to star in The Simpsons remains unknown to this day. A caricature of the Englishman appeared in future season five episode Burns' Heir, though he was voiced by Dan Castellaneta as Caine, once more, had declined an invitation.