In Hollywood, even the biggest stars aren’t immune to being fired from major movie roles. Creative differences, personal issues, and mismatched visions have led to some surprising casting changes during production. Here are a few notable actors who were fired or replaced.
Natalie Portman
Portman was cast as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” but was replaced by Claire Danes. The studio executives felt that Portman, being only 13 at the time, appeared too young, unlike the 21-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio.
Megan Fox
Fox was fired from “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” after she made derogatory comments about director Michael Bay. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaced her.
Eric Stoltz
Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in “Back to the Future” and filmed for five weeks before being replaced by Michael J. Fox. The change was due to Stoltz’s serious approach to the role, which didn’t match the film’s comedic tone.
Stuart Townsend
Townsend was initially cast as Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings” but was replaced by Viggo Mortensen just days into filming because the director wanted an older actor.
Harvey Keitel
Keitel was let go from “Apocalypse Now” after six weeks of filming. Martin Sheen took over his role as Captain Benjamin L. Willard. Keith was very disappointed in the decision and even decided to quit Hollywood. Well, we’re glad he didn’t!
James Remar
Remar was cast as Corporal Hicks in “Aliens” but was fired due to drug-related issues and replaced by Michael Biehn.
Terrence Howard
Howard played Colonel James Rhodes in the first “Iron Man” film but was replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequels due to a salary dispute.
Edward Norton
Norton was not brought back to play the Hulk in future Marvel films because the studio found him difficult to work with, and Mark Ruffalo replaced him.
Al Pacino
Pacino recorded all his lines for “Despicable Me 2” but left the project due to creative differences. He was replaced by Benjamin Bratt, even though Pacino’s name still appeared in some promotional materials.
Samantha Morton
Morton was the original voice of the operating system in “Her,” but was replaced by Scarlett Johansson during post-production as the director felt a different performance was needed.
James Purefoy
Purefoy was originally cast as V in “V for Vendetta” but was replaced by Hugo Weaving six weeks into filming. Purefoy left the role due to difficulties working with the mask and disagreements about the character’s portrayal.
Sylvester Stallone
Stallone was fired from “Beverly Hills Cop” just weeks before filming began. He wanted to make the character more serious and action-oriented, which clashed with the producers’ vision. Eddie Murphy was then cast, transforming the film into a comedy classic.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Van Damme was initially cast as the titular character in “Predator,” but Kevin Peter Hall replaced him. Van Damme’s height and the design of the original costume were cited as issues, along with creative differences with the filmmakers.
Colin Firth
Firth was cast as the voice of Paddington Bear in the film “Paddington” but was replaced by Ben Whishaw. The producers felt that Firth’s voice didn’t match Paddington’s youthful and enthusiastic character as they had envisioned.
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