“It’s about character, darling,” Bassett told Newsweek in an interview after the movie was released. Bassett revealed that she didn't want to play a sex worker in a movie because “it’s such a stereotype about black women and sexuality.”
Sir Ian McKellen, Harry Potter
When Rochard Harris died, Sir Ian McKellen was approached about playing Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter. However, he had previously decided that he had played enough wizards throughout his career. “People say to me, ‘Don’t you wish you’d played Dumbledore?” he said. “I say no! I played Gandolf! The original.”
McKellen confessed later on: “There was a question as to whether I might take over from Richard Harris but seeing as one of the last things he did publicly was say what a dreadful actor he thought I was, it would not have been appropriate for me to take over his part. It would have been unfair.”
Mel Gibson, Gladiator
Although Mel Gibson's best-known role currently is "the guy who revealed that he's a raging anti-semite and got laughed out of Hollywood," he definitely missed a big opportunity in the early stages of his career.