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ROLE REGRET

Be it James Bond or Buzz Lightyear, 6 film heroes that could have turned out differently

IT'S not just us everyday folk that have regrets when it comes to our careers.

Even Hollywood's top actors regret turning down certain jobs.

And you think your regrets are bad?

Some of the World's biggest stars have missed out on seven-figure deals after turning down roles.

We thought actors would have been queuing up for these ones...

Buzz Lightyear
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Woody's sidekick is one of the most-loved animated characters of all timeCredit: NTI Media Ltd

Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story

Tim Allen's voice-over of Buzz Lightyear's "To infinity and beyond!" has become one of Pixar's most famous moments.

Once upon a time, however, when Toy Story was set to be Pixar's big-break, former Disney executive, Jeffery Katzenberg, had his eye on When Harry Met Sally's, Billy Crystal.

Billy Crystal
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Billy Crystal turned down the role of Buzz Lightyear in the 90sCredit: Getty Images - WireImage

According to , Crystal is reported to have said it's the only regret he has of passing something up.

It has been suggested that missing out on Buzz spurred the actor on to voice the much-adored, one-eyed monster, Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc.

He claimed that Mike seemed like a better fit for him than Buzz.

Han Solo, Star Wars

Star Wars
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Harrison Ford's Han Solo has become the face of Star WarsCredit: WENN

A couple of big names turned down this one before producers settled on Harrison Ford.

With names like Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson all rumoured to have said no to the role, it seems that no one was expecting the success of Star Wars.

Robert De Niro
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Robert De Niro is just one of many actors rumoured to have turned down the role of Han SoloCredit: Splash News

Actor, Al Pacino, has also confirmed he once turned the role down.

The Godfather actor explained to MTV that casting directors didn't care if he was right for roles or not at the time because he was simply just such a huge name.

His reason for turning the role down, however, was that he didn't understand the script.

To be fair to the star, even we feel like we need some kind of Star Wars timeline drawn out at times.

Forrest Gump
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Tom Hanks won an Academy Award for his performance as the lovable Forrest GumpCredit: Kobal Collection

Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump

Can you believe this one?

Before Tom Hanks, there was a list of stars that turned down the opportunity to play the character of Forrest Gump in the Oscar-winning film.

In amongst the list is none other than John Travolta.

Yes you read that correctly.

John Travolta
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The singing and dancing star turned down the role of GumpCredit: Corbis

The actor is reported to have said that turning down Forrest Gump was one of the biggest mistakes of his career.

We've got to admit, we think Travolta's mistake was our gain.

Hanks went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Forrest Gump.

 

James Bond
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Over the years, several of Hollywood's finest have played the British spy, Daniel Craig is the most recentCredit: Rex Features

James Bond, James Bond

With a number of Bond roles having been cast, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, it comes as no surprise that a number of actors have been approached to play the spy.

It has been reported in the past that Richard Burton demanded a huge salary for playing the role before turning it down due to considering the concept too risky.

Liam Neeson
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 Liam Neeson has turned the role of James Bond down in the pastCredit: PA:Press Association

Out of all of the actors, there is one that stands out.

Following his lead-performance in Taken, we just can't understand why Liam Neeson turned Bond down.

Neeson has admitted that he doesn't regret passing on the role after his wife told him that if he had taken it, she wouldn't have married him.

Avatar
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James Cameron eventually cast Sam Worthington as Avatar, Jake SullyCredit: Sportsphoto

Jake Sully, Avatar

Rumour has it that director James Cameron had always wanted the relatively unheard of actor, Sam Worthington, to play the role of Jake Sully.

Though it has been reported that the director was under pressure to cast a huge name to act as a safety net for the massively expensive film.

Jake Gyllenhaal
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Jake Gyllenhaal was approached to play Jake Sully in AvatarCredit: Splash News

Jake Gyllenhall has admitted that he was approached by producers to star in the film.

In the end, however, Cameron went with his first option and it all paid off.

Literally.

Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time.

Jason Bourne
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Matt Damon has starred as Jason Bourne in four films in the Bourne seriesCredit: Universal/Atlas Photo Archive

Jason Bourne, Bourne Series

Back in 2000, Brad Pitt was cast to play Jason Bourne by Universal.

But before filming was due to begin, casting took an unexpected turn as Pitt dropped out of the film.

It was as a result of Pitt's dropping out that Matt Damon, the Jason Bourne that we all know and love, was cast.

Brad Pitt
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Brad Pitt was originally cast as Jason BourneCredit: Getty Images - WireImage

Pitt reportedly dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts with his movie Spy Game.

Although Spy Game was received well, it's no Bourne film.

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