Even Hollywood’s Biggest Stars Say No To The Biggest Roles

John Lithgow — Batman

Image Source: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of The Joker is universally revered as a tremendous performance. We almost didn’t get the chance to see that, as John Lithgow was initially pegged to assume the role. After reading for the gig, Lithgow didn’t feel as if he was right for the role. It got to a point where Lithgow had to convince director Tim Burton to take him off the project. Too bad for John, as Nicholson ended up making $100 million off this film alone.