Actors Who Turned Down Chances In Tom Hanks Films

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks is universally adored by virtually everyone who has enjoyed movies in the previous four decades, regardless of their own preferences, connections, or social standing.

He is one of the most successful and acclaimed actors of this or any era, and practically every film he stars in is an event. However, for whatever reason, a number of stars, many of whom were as renowned or more famous than Hanks, declined the offer. Here are notable casting near-misses, brought about by rejection, polite or otherwise, from movies involving Tom Hanks.

Julia Roberts, Sleepless In Seattle

"Sleepless in Seattle" reunited Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, his on-screen love interest from 1989's "Joe Vs. the Volcano." It was 1993's most successful romantic comedy and possibly the decade's most enduring. They starred in "You've Got Mail," and then Hanks starred alongside Julia Roberts in "Larry Crowne" two decades later.

Sam (Hanks) and Annie (Ryan) become pen buddies when Sam's kid talks about his lovelorn widowed dad on a call-in radio show. After starring in "Steel Magnolias," "Sleeping with the Enemy," and "Pretty Woman," Roberts was a favorite contender to play Annie. Roberts told InStyle (via ABC News) that Ryan and Hanks "are just such a jewel of a fit in that," thus she declined "Sleepless in Seattle."

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Garth Brooks, Saving Private Ryan

Garth Brooks, unlike Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand, only appeared in cameos and music videos. However, it may have been due to effort.

According to Billboard, Brooks's former production partner and de facto talent agent Lisa Sanderson sued him in 2013 for losing money since he turned down every job in every movie and TV show he was offered. Sanderson said Brooks turned down "Twister" because he didn't want the CGI tornado to overshadow him. He reportedly turned down a role in "Saving Private Ryan," the 1998 World War II epic starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, and Edward Burns, due to its ensemble cast. Brooks wants to shine. Brooks rejected all of Sanderson's legal claims to E! News.

John Leguizamo, Philadelphia

By the early 1990s, Tom Hanks was one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood. However, he was mostly known for movies like "Sleepless in Seattle," "Big," and "A League of Their Own," which were light, funny, and popular. In "Philadelphia" in 1993, Hanks played Andrew Beckett, a lawyer who is dying of AIDS and has to deal with homophobia while suing his former law firm for wrongful termination. This was the most dramatic role Hanks had played up to that point in his career. Hanks won an Academy Award for "Philadelphia," in which Antonio Banderas played Miguel Alvarez, Beckett's partner, and lover.

Like Tom Hanks, John Leguizamo is known primarily for his humorous parts, and he was almost cast in the role of Miguel. In 2017, Leguizamo said on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" that he was cast as Tom Hanks' romantic interest. He explained his decision by saying, "So I turned it down for Super Mario Brothers." This was in reference to the critically panned and commercially unsuccessful film adaptation of the popular video game series. Then, of course, they all took home Academy Awards. Also, my wife presented me with the "John, How Could You Be So Stupid Award."

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Dave Chappelle, Forrest Gump

In the 1990s, Dave Chappelle appeared in several major films in supporting parts, including "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "Undercover Blues," and "The Nutty Professor." Producers of the American history epic "Forrest Gump," for which Tom Hanks would win his second consecutive Oscar, considered Chappelle for the role of Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue, the best buddy of Hanks' Forrest Gump character, who is even kinder and less clever than Hanks' character. Forrest and Bubba meet in Vietnam, and after the latter's tragic death, Forrest opens a shrimp company in his honor.

Without Chappelle, "Forrest Gump" earned $678 million, won numerous Academy Awards, and dominated the 1994 film awards circuit. Mykteli Williamson played Bubba in place of Chappelle, who declined. Chappelle remarked in a stand-up set, "They tried to cast me in 'Forrest Gump'" (via Comedy Hype). "I must've misread the script. This script was terrible when I read it "He said that he took offense at portraying a Black character who was portrayed as so absurdly dimwitted. Four years later, he would finally co-star with Hanks in a major motion picture, "You've Got Mail."

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David Alan Grier, Forrest Gump

Mykleti Williamson was a relative unknown when he earned the role of Bubba in "Forrest Gump," a job that catapulted him directly into major film acting and away from the guest-starring parts on episodic television to which he was accustomed. Before casting him, "Forrest Gump" producers attempted to secure a better recognizable actor, but both rising star Dave Chappelle and veteran David Alan Grier declined.

Brad Pitt, Apollo 13

Tom Hanks starred in three consecutive high-grossing, Academy Award-nominated films, beginning with "Philadelphia" and continuing with "Forrest Gump" and "Apollo 13." The frightening documentary was based on the true account of a group of American astronauts on a 1970 moon mission whose trip goes catastrophically astray, and the small crew must find a way to return to Earth safely.

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Billy Crystal, Toy Story

Tom Hanks never voiced a part in a feature-length animated film until 1995, when he portrayed a cowboy doll named Woody in "Toy Story," Pixar's first picture about the secret lives of sentient toys when people aren't around. "Toy Story," 1995's highest-grossing film, was a dazzlingly animated buddy-action comedy, pairing Woody with his would-be replacement, Buzz Lightyear, a spaceman toy with fascinating attributes whom he plots to eliminate and ultimately must save. Tim Allen, star of the hit 1990s comedy "Home Improvement," gained the opportunity to voice Buzz when the comedian and "City Slickers" actor rejected.

Debra Winger, A League Of Their Own

The brief existence of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, a women's sports league during World War II, was the subject of one of 1992's biggest movie office hits: a period sports drama about an obscure historical footnote. Critics were proven wrong, as "A League of Their Own" gained massive viewers due to the star power of its cast, which included Tom Hanks (as the grumpy alcoholic coach Jimmy Dugan) and Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, and Lori Petty as some of the Rockford Peaches players. One of the reasons why another prominent performer declined to appear in "A League of Their Own" was the presence of a well-known actor in the cast.

According to TheWrap, Debra Winger, who starred in blockbuster 1980s films such as "Urban Cowboy," "An Officer and a Gentleman," and "Terms of Endearment," enthusiastically signed on for the film and completed three months in intensive baseball training with the Chicago Cubs. The winger was prepared to film her sequences as a catcher (and lead character) Dottie Hinson until she realized that Penny Marshall had cast Madonna in the film. And with that, Winger departed, telling The Telegraph that she believed the film's focus had shifted to a pop star showcase, akin to an "Elvis film," and that few other actors had prepared as thoroughly as she had. In the end, Geena Davis was cast as Dottie.