Although Hollywood actors are remembered for their iconic roles, we tend to forget, there are also roles that the stars missed out on. Take Bruce Willis as an example, his team told him to pass on The English Patient, a film that went on to dominate the Oscars.Mark Wahlberg himself tried to get producer rights for Fifty Shades of Grey, a franchise worth billions, but again, it wasn't meant to be.Harrison Ford had plenty of smash blockbusters throughout his career, however, there is a certain film he regrets turning down. We'll take a look at the real reason Ford turned the project at the start, and how George Clooney capitalized, arguably putting out the best performance of his career.
George Clooney Took Home The Oscar For Best Actor In A Supporting Role For Syriana
Syriana turned out to be one of the more impactful projects of George Clooney's career. In truth, the actor was surprised that the film got the green light to begin with, praising Warner Bros for their courage in taking on the film.
The actor stated, “I was surprised Warner Bros. stepped up,” admits Clooney.
“It was green-lit two years ago and back then the climate in America was very dark. It was like McCarthy in a sense. People would come to me and whisper, ‘I agree with you’ and I’d go, ‘Why are you whispering?’ Everyone turned into chickens----.”
The film was a decent success at the box office, bringing in $94 million, off a budget of $50 million. Clooney received high praise for his role in the project, taking home an Oscar for his supporting role.
The film wasn't without its fair share of troubles for Clooney. According to the actor, he suffered an injury on-set.
He stated alongside The Tech, "It was my own dumb fault. I was taped to a chair and a guy was pretending to hit me."
The actor continued, "It’s all fake, you’re not really getting punched, and I flipped myself over on the chair, and cracked my head and tore what’s called my dura, which is the wrapping around your spine, and ended up with what they call CSF leak, which is a cranial spinal fluid leak — good fun. I highly recommend it for everybody out there."
Prepping as Robert Barnes before the film wasn't easy either, as Clooney had to put on a bunch of weight. George understood this is part of the business, but it didn't make things any easier. Eating quickly and chasing the full feeling wasn't ideal for the actor. Nonetheless, it was all worth it.
Harrison Ford Turned Down Syriana For Not Agreeing With The Script But Later Regretted It
Things could have looked very different. During the initial stages, Harrison Ford was considered for George Clooney's role in Syriana as Robert Barnes. In fairness to Ford, the script looked different at the time and the actor didn't agree with certain things in the film.
However, once Ford signed off, the script changed and so did the cast. Once Ford saw the final product, he regretted his decision.
Ford stated about the missed opportunity, "I saw a bit of (director) Steve Gaghan's movie Syriana and I wish I'd played the part that was offered to me - George's part."
"I didn't feel strongly enough about the truth of the material and I think I made a mistake. I think the film underwent some changes and I think a lot of it is very truthful. The things that I thought weren't, were obviated after I left the table."
Ford could have won an Oscar in the role but instead, it wasn't meant to be. So this begs the question, what did Ford take on instead?
Harrison Ford Did Not Release Any Projects In 2005
So what did Harrison Ford do instead? Well, in 2005, Ford did not take on any projects. Instead, his next lead role came in the 2006 film, Firewall. The film was a moderate success at the box office but did not receive great reviews, Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 18% approval rating.
For his next project, Harrison Ford switched gears revisiting a blockbuster, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The 2008 film was a monster success at the box office, bringing in a near $800 million.