12 Actors You Didn't Know Were Almost Cast In Star Trek
Gene Roddenberry DID NOT want to hire Patrick Stewart!
Let’s talk about the things that almost were. Will Smith was almost Neo in The Matrix. The movie Clueless was almost called I Was A Teenage Teenager. The Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was almost called The Grater. John Lithgow almost played the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman.
So many missed opportunities! Some of these alternatives may have been better than reality. And, some of them may have been far, far worse. What’s true is that any actor who misses out on a role in a huge franchise is probably kicking themselves. Not only do you lose a prestige part, but you also miss out on those sweet, sweet, royalty checks.
And if we’re talking about huge franchises then is there any franchise bigger than Star Trek? Ok, there are a few franchises bigger, but that’s beside the point.
There have been tons of actors over the years that have missed out on Star Trek roles. These missed parts represent not only a loss for the actor but for audiences as well. Wouldn’t you love to see Will Smith’s Neo? And, sure Jack Nicholson’s Joker is hard to beat. But, aren’t you just a little curious about what Lithgow would’ve brought to the role? He was great in Cliffhanger, admit it.
With all that being said here are twelve actors who missed out on some major Star Trek roles.
12. Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall is most well-known for her role as Samantha in the HBO series Sex And The City. But, what you may not know is she campaigned for several roles in the Star Trek movies. Most notably, Catrell auditioned for the role of Saavik, the young Vulcan Lieutenant in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan.
The role ended up going to Kirstie Alley who was a life-long Star Trek fan. And, the role was again recast for Star Trek III: The Search For Spock. However, this time Saavik was played by Robin Curtis.
Cattrall didn't give up on her Trek ambitions, though. She eventually landed the role of Valeris in Star Trek IV: The Final Frontier. Interestingly, the character Valeris was meant to be Saavik, but this was changed in later scripts.