From 'Friends' to 'The Matrix': Iconic roles celebs passed on

Sometimes Hollywood’s biggest “what ifs” come from roles that stars turned down — either because of timing, nerves, or simply not wanting to step into someone else’s shoes.

Here are some of the celebs who declined roles which could have changed their careers.

Kristen Stewart as the First Victim in 'Scream 4'

When the directors of Scream 4 planned to open the film with a chilling homage to Drew Barrymore’s legendary death scene in the original Scream, they approached Kristen Stewart to play Ghostface’s first victim.

“It’s the Drew character that gets killed in the beginning,” Stewart told Slant in March 2022. “And they created a whole sequence where a lot of people got killed to emulate the Drew thing. But it was just going to be one person, and I was like, ‘I can’t do a Drew. I can’t touch that.’”

Nicole Kidman as Meg Altman in 'Panic Room'

Before Jodie Foster said yes to the lead role in David Fincher’s 2002 thriller Panic Room, Nicole Kidman was originally cast as Meg Altman. Unfortunately, an injury forced her to step away from the project.

“We were meant to work together,” Kidman recalled during Variety’s Actors on Actors conversation with Kristen Stewart in January 2022. “I remember David Fincher saying, ‘Oh, my God, we have discovered the most incredible actress.’ And then I got injured and ended up not playing your mama.”

Madonna in 'The Matrix' 

Madonna has never been shy about her near-misses in Hollywood. While chatting with Jimmy Fallon in October 2021, she revealed that she turned down a role in The Matrix — a decision she’s not entirely at peace with.

“Can you believe that? That’s, like, one of the best movies ever made,” she admitted. “A teeny-tiny part of me regrets just that one moment in my life.”

The pop icon also revealed she passed on playing Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992) and the lead role in Showgirls (1995). Looking back, she has mixed feelings. 

“I saw them both and I regret that I turned down Catwoman, that was pretty fierce. Showgirls? No,” she said.

Kristin Davis as Monica in 'Friends'

Before Courteney Cox landed the role of Monica Geller, Sex and the City star Kristin Davis was among the thousands of actresses who auditioned.

“I think I was one of, like, 8,000 young ladies who read for Monica and Courteney Cox got her,” Davis recalled on The Late Late Show with James Corden in December 2021.