Movie Star Roles that Almost Happened, Part 3 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the 1996 movie "Evita" the role of Argentinean First Lady Eva "Evita" Per�n was played by Madonna. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: She was in "Out of Africa.")

Answer: Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep had agreed to star in the movie version of "Evita" 10 years before the film actually got made. Unfortunately for her, the producers went bankrupt and the picture was delayed. By the time the project was back on track, Streep was 41 years old and was considered too old to play the part. (Eva Peron died when she was 30, so the producers thought about some other star.) Michelle Pfeiffer showed interest in the role, but Madonna was cast after she wrote a long letter to director Alan Parker, convincing him she was perfect to play the role. During filming of the movie, Madonna got pregnant with daughter Lourdes Maria, nicknamed Lola.

2. In the 1970 movie "Patton" the role of General George S. Patton Jr. was played by George C. Scott. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: He was in the movies "Cape Fear," "Thunder Road" and "The Enemy Below.")

Answer: Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger, Lee Marvin, John Wayne and Burt Lancaster all turned down the lead role. Scott was reluctant at first to take the role, but accepted after he realized it would be a considerable acting challenge. "Patton" won seven Oscars in the 1971 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. George C. Scott was chosen the winner for Best Actor for his portrayal of General Patton, but refused to accept the Oscar, stating that competition between actors was unfair and calling it a "meat parade."

3. In the 1992 movie "Basic Instinct" the role of sultry mystery writer, and prime suspect Catherine Tramell was played by Sharon Stone. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: She was in "L. A. Confidential.")

Answer: Kim Basinger

Kim Basinger, Emma Thompson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Greta Scacchi all turned down the role of Catherine Tramell (played in the movie by Sharon Stone). Lena Olin reportedly wanted the role of Catherine, but refused to work with director Paul Verhoeven. Much of this story and some shots are similar to those used in Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 thriller "Vertigo."

4. In the 1978 movie "Grease" the role of student Danny Zuko was played by John Travolta. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: He had an important part in the American TV series "Happy Days.")

Answer: Henry Winkler

The role of greaser student Danny Zuko (played in the movie by John Travolta) was originally intended for Henry Winkler (who at that time was playing Fonzie on the American TV show "Happy Days"), but he turned it down for fear of being typecast. Marie Osmond claimed she turned down the role of Sandy in "Grease" because she thought the script was too raunchy, but then recanted and admitted she was never offered the part.

The movie "Grease" was based on a Broadway musical of the same name, but in it Sandy was an all-American girl.

When Olivia Newton-John was cast in the movie as Sandy, her character's background in the screenplay was changed to accommodate her background (she moved to Australia at the age of five and grew up in Melbourne). In the movie version of "Grease," the character Sandy became a foreign-exchange student from Australia.

5. In the 1987 movie "Fatal Attraction" the role of obsessed stalker Alex was played by Glenn Close. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: She was in "An Officer and a Gentleman.")

Answer: Debra Winger

Debra Winger, Barbara Hershey, and Miranda Richardson all turned down the role of Alex (played in the movie by Glenn Close). In the 1988 Academy Awards, "Fatal Attraction" was nominated for six Oscars, including one for Best Picture, but didn't win any.

6. In the 1971 movie "The French Connection" the role of Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle was played by Gene Hackman. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: He was in "Young Frankenstein.")

Answer: Peter Boyle

Peter Boyle, Steve McQueen, and James Caan all turned down the role of "Popeye" Doyle. New York City newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin was originally hired to play "Popeye" and completed three weeks of rehearsals before director William Friedkin decided to recast the role.

The real-life detectives on whom the characters of Doyle and his partner Detective Buddy Russo (played in the movie by Roy Scheider) are based appear in the movie as Doyle's and Russo's supervisors. In the 1972 Academy Awards, "The French Connection" won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Gene Hackman.

7. In the 1988 movie "Rain Man" the role of autistic savant Raymond Babbitt was played by Dustin Hoffman. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: He was in "The Shining.")

Answer: Jack Nicholson

Dustin Hoffman was originally cast to play the part of self-centered yuppie Charlie Babbit (played in the movie by Tom Cruise), but after being moved when he saw a real-life blind savant play the piano by ear, Hoffman decided to play the part of Raymond himself. Before he made this decision, Jack Nicholson turned down the part of Raymond.

In the 1989 Academy Awards, "Rain Man" won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Dustin Hoffman.

8. In the 1996 movie "Jerry Maguire" the role of single mom and Jerry's girlfriend Dorothy Boyd was played by Ren�e Zellweger. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: She was in "The People vs. Larry Flynt.")

Answer: Courtney Love

Both Courtney Love and Parker Posey were considered for the role of Dorothy Boyd. (Love played Larry Flynt's girlfriend Althea in the 1996 movie "The People vs. Larry Flynt.") The title role (played in the movie by Tom Cruise) was written for Tom Hanks. Ren�e Zellweger went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for her roles in the movies "Chicago" and "Bridget Jones's Diary," and then win an Oscar in the 2004 Academy Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for the 2003 movie "Cold Mountain."

9. In the 1973 movie "The Sting" the role of young con artist Johnny Hooker was played by Robert Redford. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: He was in "The Shining.")

Answer: Jack Nicholson

Robert Redford initially turned down the part of Johnny Hooker, but then changed his mind and decided to play it. Before Redford changed his mind, Jack Nicholson turned down the part. This was the second major film Redford made with Paul Newman (he played master con man Henry Gondorff).

In the 1974 Academy Awards, "The Sting" won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Robert Redford was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but lost to Jack Lemmon in "Save the Tiger."

10. In the 2000 movie "Gladiator" the role of Roman General Maximus was played by Russell Crowe. Which of these Hollywood figures was also considered for the role? (Hint: He was in "Braveheart.")

Answer: Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson was offered, but turned down, the part of Maximus (played in the movie by Russell Crowe). The real-life Roman Emperor Commodus (played in the movie by Joaquin Phoenix) was in fact the only Emperor to actually fight in the arena as a gladiator. In the 2001 Academy Awards, "Gladiator" won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Russell Crowe.

Source: Author root17

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

I'll give you a character and the actor who played him/her in a well-known movie. You choose, from the multiple choices, who else was seriously considered for that part.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>