Christina Applegate Almost Played Elle Woods in ‘Legally Blonde’ — Plus See 14 Other Stars Who Were Recast in Major Movies!

Christina Applegate Almost Played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde!

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Christina confessed she was originally cast as Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde but turned down the role because she felt it was too similar to her _Married… With Children** character. The part then went to Reese Witherspoon!

Tom Hanks Replaced John Travolta in Forrest Gump!

It's hard to believe that John Travolta almost said the famous quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates"! It's been alleged that he turned down the leading role before it was offered to Tom — who went on to win the Best Actor award for the role at the 1994 Oscars! Not a great move, Johnny!

Molly Ringwald Almost Played Vivian in Pretty Woman!

According to The Huffington Post, Molly Ringwald was initially offered the role of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman. After declining, Julia Roberts nabbed what would become her most famous role.

Michelle Pfeiffer was Initially Offered the Starring Role in Silence of the Lambs!

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Jodie Foster playing the iconic role of FBI agent Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. However, The Huffington Post reported that Michelle Pfeiffer was originally offered the role, before turning it down due to its violent storyline.

Michael J Fox Replaced Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future!

"Think, MCFLY!" Eric Stoltz was originally cast to play the lead in Back to the Future, but after filming, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Stoltz "wasn't delivering the laughs." He was replaced by Michael J. Fox.

Mark Wahlberg Replaced Ryan Gosling in The Lovely Bones!

Ryan packed on one too many pounds for Peter Jackson's movie, The Lovely Bones. The actor told The Hollywood Reporter his 60-pound weight gain cost him the role — that eventually went to Mark Wahlberg.

"I was 150 pounds when [Jackson] hired me, and I showed up on set 210 pounds," Ryan said. "We had a different idea of how the character should look. I really believed he should be 210 pounds."

Maggie Gyllenhaal Replaced Katie Holmes in The Dark Knight!

Though it was hard for fans to turn a blind eye to the Rachel Dawes switch in The Dark Knight, Maggie Gyllenhaal stepped in after Katie Holmes decided not to reprise her role.

Benjamin Bratt Replaced Al Pacino in Despicable Me 2!

Al Pacino dropped out of voicing the villain in Despicable Me 2, two months before its premiere date, Deadline reported. He was replaced with actor Benjamin Bratt.

Alicia Silverstone Was Almost NOT Cast in Clueless!

Can you imagine anyone other than Alicia Silverstone playing 90s icon Cher in Clueless — as if! According to The Huffington Post, Sarah Michelle Gellar was originally offered the role, but turned it down. Good thing another blonde was waiting in the wings — Alicia nailed the role and has become a staple for the 90s.

Mark Ruffalo Replaced Edward Norton in The Avengers!

Edward Norton starred as the green monster in The Incredible Hulk, but there's a reason he didn't sign on to reprise the role, which eventually went to Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers movies.

"My feeling was that I experimented and experienced what I wanted to," Edward explained to The Hollywood Reporter.

Mike Myers Replaced Chris Farley in Shrek!

Mike Myers captivated audiences in his portrayal of the swamp dwelling ogre, but what most people don't know is that SNL front man Chris Farley was allegedly cast to play the lead role! Sadly, Chris passed away in 1997 during filming and the script was rewritten for Mike, according to a Jim Hill Media piece.

"Yeah, these days, few people seem to recall that Shrek was originally envisioned as a vehicle for Chris Farley," said Jim Hill.

James Marsden Replaced Jim Caviezel in X-Men!

Jim Caviezel beat out many A-list actors for the role of Cyclops in the X-Men movie. Unfortunately, due to alleged scheduling conflicts with his 2000 film Frequency, he dropped out and was replaced by James Marsden.

Michael Gambon Replaced Richard Harris in Harry Potter!

Any true Harry Potter fan can admit that he/she cried a little when news broke that Richard Harris aka Dumbledore passed away. The hit movie phenomenon continued and cast Michael Gambon to finish off the series.

Viggo Mortensen Replaced Stuart Townsend in Lord of the Rings!

Stuart Townsend was supposedly cast to play a key character in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. While it's unclear the reason behind why he didn't get the role, Entertainment Weekly revealed he was happy with the decision. He lost the role of Aragorn to Viggo Mortensen.

Lisa Edelstein almost played Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City!

In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, Lisa confessed she was being considered for the role of Carrie before Sarah Jessica Parker accepted the part!