There are hundreds, if not thousands, of stories throughout the history of Hollywood of actors turning down roles that later became iconic. We know that Will Smith could have starred in The Matrix, and Tom Selleck was almost Indiana Jones. Careers and movie history would have changed drastically if things had gone a different way.
But the opposite is also true. It turns out that Ian McKellen only had the ability to say yes to two of his most iconic roles after he had turned down another major film. It turns out that McKellen was offered a role in Mission: Impossible 2, but he had to say no. Stepping Through Film recently spoke with the actor who said he was offered a part in the Tom Cruise sequel, but chose to say no. McKellan revealed,
