The iconic roles that Tom Hanks decided to turn down
Tom Hanks is one of the most familiar faces – and voices – to ever grace our cinema screens. It’s a quality he’s earned not just through his emotive acting style or his friendly off-screen persona but through his carefully curated filmography, which is full of nice guys and iconic leads. Since he first appeared on our screens four decades ago, Hanks has honed one of the most impressive catalogues in the industry, carving out a place for himself as one of the greats.
Hanks has been collecting legendary roles since the 1980s – he played the main character, Josh, in Penny Marshall’s Big, starred as the romantic lead in Nora Ephron’s 1993 rom-com Sleepless in Seattle, and took on the title part in Forrest Gump the year following. He starred opposite a volleyball in Cast Away, lent his voice to the rootinest, tootinest, cowboy around for the Toy Story series, and even boarded The Polar Express in the 2000s.
From stranded island-dwellers to FBI agents to army captains, Hanks has taken on countless roles and made almost every single one iconic, collecting legendary characters like Pokemon. But Hanks has turned down almost as many beloved roles as he has taken. It will come as no surprise that Hanks has always been in demand with casting directors, but he has been offered a truly impressive range of projects that he rejected.
Take The Shawshank Redemption, for example. Three decades after the film was released, it sits atop the IMDb list of the top-rated movies, widely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. The film starred Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Redding, who become friends during their time in prison. But the former role could have been played by Hanks.
Hanks was in high demand during this period, and although he was offered the role of Andy in The Shawshank Redemption, he decided to turn it down for another project. He starred in Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump instead and took home an Academy Award in the process. While Hanks certainly would have thrived in both roles, it seems that he may have made the right decision picking Forrest over Andy.
But The Shawshank Redemption isn’t the only legendary film that Hanks opted to turn down. A year earlier, he had decided not to take a role in Harold Ramis’ time-bending blockbuster Groundhog Day, leaving Bill Murray to take on the role instead. Hanks was also offered a superhero role in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and the romantic lead in When Harry Met Sally…, but opted to turn both of these down, too.
Hanks even decided not to take the opportunity to play Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone’s 1995 film about the former president. Anthony Hopkins landed the role instead, earning an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of the US leader. Hanks certainly could have embodied Nixon, although the persona he had set out for himself with the rest of his career didn’t quite match up with the role.
Fortunately, the next century of cinema would be just as lucrative for Hanks in terms of castings. While starring in 2000s classics like Cast Away and Catch Me If You Can, Hanks’ inbox was still full of offers. Early into the decade, Hanks turned down the chance to work with Martin Scorsese on Gangs of New York, with the role being filled by Daniel Day-Lewis.
Although it seems like Hanks has turned down some truly great opportunities with some legendary roles and collaborators, it is clear that the actor always had a vision for his career. There are certain roles that didn’t quite fit into that vision, or didn’t work within his schedule, so he rightfully opted to turn them down. They may seem like missed opportunities, but they actually serve as proof that Hanks has carefully curated his catalogue.
