Titanic and La La Land Almost Were Very Different With Macaulay Culkin and Emma Watson

It's always interesting to think about what could have been, and in the world of entertainment, that includes speculating about which actors almost landed certain iconic roles. While some actors go on to become household names thanks to their performances in iconic films, others miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime due to various circumstances.

Let's a look at some actors who were almost cast in iconic movies, but for one reason or another, things didn't quite work out.

Leonardo DiCaprio – Boogie Nights

In the 1990s, Leonardo DiCaprio was a rising star, he was constantly being offered good roles, but he had to turn down a fair share of them because he was always booked.

The director of Boogie Nights wanted to cast Leo in the lead role of Eddie Adams, but DiCaprio had to turn down the role because he had already been invited to play in James Cameron 's Titanic. So the role of Eddie Adams went to Mark Wahlberg. Today, it is regarded as an important milestone in Mark's career.

Macaulay Culkin – Titanic

The actors the Titanic producers looked at for the lead role of Jack Dawson included Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey and even Macaulay Culkin. Culkin almost got approved, by the way. James Cameron was dead set against him.

Cameron was a staunch believer in DiCaprio and only wanted him for the role. He was able to convince the producers and Culkin was dropped in favour of Leo.

Matt Damon – Avatar

The lead in the box office hit Avatar was initially offered to Matt Damon, but he had to turn it down because he was all booked at the time. Matt Damon was the producers' darling while James Cameron wanted to see Sam Worthington in the role.

Cameron couldn't have been happier when Damon said he was out. Sam Worthington was then cast in the lead and the work on the movie began. After Avatar made a killing at the box office, Matt Damon admitted he regretted turning it down, as the role would have been a major boon for his career both financially and PR-wise.

Meg Ryan – Pretty Woman

When work began on Pretty Woman in the early 1990s, the producers reached out to a whole bunch of famous actresses to play the role of Vivian Ward, including Meg Ryan, who was the ultimate romcom female lead at the time. Meg turned it down: like many others, she believed that playing a sex worker might negatively impact her girl-next-door image and might even end her highly successful romcom career.

The producers and the directors had completely run out of options when they remembered about the newbie actress Julia Roberts, who was only too happy to take on the role. The movie was a major hit and catapulted Julia Roberts into stardom practically overnight.

Emma Watson – La La Land

La La Land was a major hit with both critics and audiences, picking up a slew of prestigious awards. The lead Mia Dolan was played by Emma Stone, who won the Best Actress academy award for it in 2017.

The thing is, though, that initially the producers wanted to cast Emma Watson in the role. But Watson was busy filming for Beauty and the Beast, so she had to turn it down. Thus one Emma had to be swapped out for another.

Ryan Gosling – Suicide Squad

La La Land's Sebastian, Ryan Gosling, was invited to play alongside Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad. The actor didn't like the terms he was offered and turned down the role.

It eventually went to Jared Leto, who created a most memorable Joker in a film that was otherwise not particularly successful and caught a lot of flak from both critics and fans alike.

Henry Cavill – Twilight

Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight saga, wanted Henry Cavill to play Edward. According to her, he was the only living actor she ever imagined in the role.

The producers, however, figured that Robert Pattinson was a better fit for the character. Edward ended up being a breakout role for Pattinson. He didn't like the character one bit, though, He wasn't much impressed by the script and its author, either.

Tom Cruise – Iron Man

When Marvel decided to launch the Iron Man franchise, it was Tom Cruise that they had in mind for the lead role. Cruise, however, found the script to be too boring and turned it down.

The role eventually went to Robert Downey Jr. and heralded the actor's return to the big leagues of Hollywood. The original Iron Man was ranked in the top ten films of 2008.

Anne Hathaway – Silver Lining Playbook

Not only was Anne Hathaway offered the lead role in Silver Lining Playbook, she actually even began filming it. But she then had a major falling out with the director and left the project.

The role of Tiffany eventually went to Jennifer Lawrence who won an Oscar for it.