Peter Richardson was originally meant to play Mike in The Young Ones (and even had the part specially written for him), but he fell out with Ben Elton and Christopher Ryan was cast instead.
Apparently he thought that Elton's 'man of the people' anti-Thatcher schtick was an act and considered him to be an overly-ambitious over-privileged posh kid that was slumming it to get in with Rik & Co to further his career.
Interesting that Richardson seemed to realise in the early 1980s what everyone else discovered 20 years later.
I hadn't heard that, I knew that Richardson was going to play Mike. However I heard he didn't like producer Paul Jackson, They had fallen out after Jackson excluded double acts from a earlier stand up show called Boom Boom out go the lights.
Rik did the show on his own without Ade, Peter was normally paired with Nigel in their act the Outer Limits however only Nigel performed as a solo artitst. Peter got very angry at this snub and started a long standing fued with Jackson.
Apparently when Neighbours decided to bring back Summer Hoyland Marisa Siketa who played the child Summer auditioned and was turned down in favour of the actress they did pick.
First time I've heard this. I doubt it's true because I don't imagine someone like patsy Kensit turning down something big like this
I'm sure I read this in an official friends book I used to have, but I am not really a fan anymore so I think I might have given it away. I might be remembering incorrectly but I think they used a politer way to say that she didn't gel with the cast/producers or something like that. I think they made out like it was a mutual decision, but she might have been let go.
Sorry if some of these have been posted already...
Geoffrey Palmer was the original choice for Victor Meldrew, I think. I don't know if he turned it down or was eventually turned down by the programme makers.
Dominic West turned down a part in Game of Thrones, because it would have meant being apart from his family for long periods. (Not sure which part it was though.)
Dana Delany turned down Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City.
Paul Giamatti turned down Michael Scott, from The Office (US).
Bridget Fonda turned down Ally McBeal, because he wanted to stick to films.
Gillian Anderson turned down Lady Cora, from Downton Abbey.
I've also heard the Pamela Anderson turned down the part of Scully from the X-Files, but I'm having trouble believing that :eek::eek:
Sorry if some of these have been posted already...
Dominic West turned down a part in Game of Thrones, because it would have meant being apart from his family for long periods. (Not sure which part it was though.)
He turned down the character of the leader of those 'Beyond the Wall' people. Sorry, dont know the character name, but its quite a major character.
Im surprised he turned it down though as it would have meant increasing his profile yet again in the States .
Director, Choreographer Matthew Bourne was invited to be on the Panel of Judges for the first series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, but he turned it down, and so the BBC asked Craig Revel-Horwood. But Matthew is to be seen sitting in the audience many times, last time at the Final of 2012.
Nicholas Cage turned down the role of Randy The Ram in The Wrestler and it went to Mickey Rourke instead.
Mickey Rourke himself turned down the role of Butch in Pulp Fiction and that was played by Bruce Willis.
Leslie Grantham auditioned for the role of Pete Beale but played Den Watts instead.
Also, David Essex was supposed to join Eastenders earlier as Honey Edwards father in 2005, but pulled out. He was later cast as Michael Moons father a few years later.
Tom Selleck turned down the role of Indiana Jones and that was played by Harrison Ford.
Nicholas Cage turned down the role of Randy The Ram in The Wrestler and it went to Mickey Rourke instead.
Mickey Rourke himself turned down the role of Butch in Pulp Fiction and that was played by Bruce Willis.
Leslie Grantham auditioned for the role of Pete Beale but played Den Watts instead.
Also, David Essex was supposed to join Eastenders earlier as Honey Edwards father in 2005, but pulled out. He was later cast as Michael Moons father a few years later.
Tom Selleck turned down the role of Indiana Jones and that was played by Harrison Ford.
Selleck turned it down because he was under contract to do Magnum PI.
Georgia Moffat - Peter Davison's daughter and the future Mrs David Tennant - auditioned and failed to get the part of Billie Piper's Rose Tyler, but would later be cast as her father and future husband's daughter four years later.
Kiera Malick (Art Malick's daughter, who also dated David Tennant for a bit) was down to the last 20 for the role of Rose.
She also turned down the role of Mrs Robinson in the 1968 film movie The Graduate. As did Warren Beatty for the role of Benjamin whom Dustin Hoffman beat Robert Redford to the part in the final two audition.
Other famous examples of ooops bad career move to turn these down...
John Travolta - Forrest Gump
Mel Gibson - Gladiator
Jack Nicholson - Michael Corleone, The Godfather
Molly Ringwald - Pretty Woman
Ray Liotta - Tony Soprano, The Sopranos
Will Smith - The Matrix
Tom Cruise - Footloose
Melanie Griffith - Thelma, Thelma and Louise
Gillian Anderson - Lady Cora, Downton Abbey
Katie Holmes - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar - Cher, Clueless
Bridget Fonda - Ally McBeal
Selleck turned it down because he was under contract to do Magnum PI.
A lot of stars have had to turn down roles due to their television commitments, Pierce Brosnan was originally going to replace Roger Moore as Bond but NBC renewed Remington Steele so he couldnt do it, same with Hugh Laurie as he was cast as Perry White in Superman Returns but had to drop out due to his House commitments.
It would have been interesting to see Selleck as Indiana Jones but I wonder if he would kept the tasche or shaved it off for the role.
Jon Finch was originally cast as Doyle but withdrew at the last moment as he did not wish to play an ex-police officer (ironically Finch was a former member of The Parachute Regiment and SAS, mirroring Bodie's background perfectly). He was replaced by Martin Shaw but when filming began the series' creator Brian Clemens felt that Anthony Andrews playing Bodie lacked chemistry with Shaw and that the two looked too similar. Andrews was dropped and replaced with Lewis Collins who had appeared together with Shaw in an episode of Clemen's previous series, The New Avengers.
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I think it was Dennis Quaid who once joked he was fed-up getting proposal scripts with Harrison Ford's fingerprints on them.
I hadn't heard that, I knew that Richardson was going to play Mike. However I heard he didn't like producer Paul Jackson, They had fallen out after Jackson excluded double acts from a earlier stand up show called Boom Boom out go the lights.
Rik did the show on his own without Ade, Peter was normally paired with Nigel in their act the Outer Limits however only Nigel performed as a solo artitst. Peter got very angry at this snub and started a long standing fued with Jackson.
I'm sure I read this in an official friends book I used to have, but I am not really a fan anymore so I think I might have given it away. I might be remembering incorrectly but I think they used a politer way to say that she didn't gel with the cast/producers or something like that. I think they made out like it was a mutual decision, but she might have been let go.
I'm not surprised at that - her character was so unsympathetically written.
Geoffrey Palmer was the original choice for Victor Meldrew, I think. I don't know if he turned it down or was eventually turned down by the programme makers.
Dominic West turned down a part in Game of Thrones, because it would have meant being apart from his family for long periods. (Not sure which part it was though.)
Dana Delany turned down Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City.
Paul Giamatti turned down Michael Scott, from The Office (US).
Bridget Fonda turned down Ally McBeal, because he wanted to stick to films.
Gillian Anderson turned down Lady Cora, from Downton Abbey.
I've also heard the Pamela Anderson turned down the part of Scully from the X-Files, but I'm having trouble believing that :eek::eek:
He turned down the character of the leader of those 'Beyond the Wall' people. Sorry, dont know the character name, but its quite a major character.
Im surprised he turned it down though as it would have meant increasing his profile yet again in the States .
About as credible as The Hoff playing Mulder...
She also turned down the role of Bree Van de Kamp.
Hugh Bonneville lost out to Colin Firth for the role of Mr Darcey in the BBC TV 1995 Pride and Prejudice.
Mickey Rourke himself turned down the role of Butch in Pulp Fiction and that was played by Bruce Willis.
Leslie Grantham auditioned for the role of Pete Beale but played Den Watts instead.
Also, David Essex was supposed to join Eastenders earlier as Honey Edwards father in 2005, but pulled out. He was later cast as Michael Moons father a few years later.
Tom Selleck turned down the role of Indiana Jones and that was played by Harrison Ford.
she walked out half way through her 2nd day, due to the long hours of filming (up to 18 a day)
i watched a Kate Mulgrew documentary the other day and she mentioned how she took over from Genevieve.
Selleck turned it down because he was under contract to do Magnum PI.
Kiera Malick (Art Malick's daughter, who also dated David Tennant for a bit) was down to the last 20 for the role of Rose.
but they hardly sank without trace, did they?
A lot of stars have had to turn down roles due to their television commitments, Pierce Brosnan was originally going to replace Roger Moore as Bond but NBC renewed Remington Steele so he couldnt do it, same with Hugh Laurie as he was cast as Perry White in Superman Returns but had to drop out due to his House commitments.
It would have been interesting to see Selleck as Indiana Jones but I wonder if he would kept the tasche or shaved it off for the role.
Susan Dey, Cindy Williams as Princess Leia
Then someone says to him, 'oh Doctor you have a big bump on your forehead.'
Connolly replies; 'I couldn't care a jot.'
Jon Finch was originally cast as Doyle but withdrew at the last moment as he did not wish to play an ex-police officer (ironically Finch was a former member of The Parachute Regiment and SAS, mirroring Bodie's background perfectly). He was replaced by Martin Shaw but when filming began the series' creator Brian Clemens felt that Anthony Andrews playing Bodie lacked chemistry with Shaw and that the two looked too similar. Andrews was dropped and replaced with Lewis Collins who had appeared together with Shaw in an episode of Clemen's previous series, The New Avengers.