Carrey thought that just one singular blockbuster Christmas movie was enough for him. He passed the role to Will Ferrel, who absolutely crushed it.
Henry Winkler, Grease
You may know him as Fonzie from Happy Days, Henry Winkler was offered the part of Danny Zuko in Grease because of his notoriety at the time. Winkler decided to turn down the role because he didn't want to get typecast as that specific type of character. In retrospect, Winkler believes that he should have considered the role more seriously than he previously did.
“It’s not now that I’m like, ‘Oh, I should’ve done the role,’” Winkler stated to AARP magazine in 2017. “It’s that I turned it down intellectually instead of instinctually. Listen to your gut—it knows everything.”
Matthew McConaughey, Titanic
Matthew McConaughey actually almost starred beside Kate Winslet in Titanic instead of Leo. McConaughey actually thought that he would have been given the role over DiCaprio in a landslide decision.