The best actors in Hollywood get the top scripts, but this comes with added stress. Making the wrong decision can not only hurt and actor's career, but it can also cost them millions if the film becomes a massive hit.For Jim Carrey, this has taken place a couple of times throughout his career. Not only did the actor turn down Will Ferrell's role in Elf, but he also rejected a voice-over role in Toy Story, potentially playing the role of Buzz Lightyear, which instead went to Tim Allen.
That wasn't it for Carrey and rejected roles. As we'll reveal in the following, he missed out on a huge chance to be the face of franchise worth billions. We'll take a look at why Carrey said no, and which project he worked on instead.
Johnny Depp Got Cast As Captain Jack Sparrow But Expected To Get Fired From Pirates Of The Caribbean
In 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean released its first film, which was a huge hit at the box office, generating $654 million with Johnny Depp in the lead as Captain Jack Sparrow. Those numbers would only improve in the films that followed and soon enough, the film was a franchise worth billions.
However, there were several speed bumps along the way, including the casting of Johnny Depp. The actor wasn't the first choice for role.
Not only that, but Depp revealed that he thought he was getting fired, as Disney couldn't understand his role as Jack Sparrow. So much so, that the studio thought he was drunk playing the role and might've needed subtitles to understand his dialogue.
Depp recalls, "It trickled back to me that Michael Eisner went on some sort of bent about how ‘Goddamnit, Johnny Depp’s ruining the film! Is it drunk? Is it gay?"
"And so I fully expected to be fired, and I got a call from the upper echelon at Disney who were courageous enough to ask me, ‘What are you doing?’...They were actually gonna put subtitles under my character, they couldn’t understand Captain Jack."
Thankfully, the problem was addressed and Depp was allowed to stay onboard. However, things almost looked very different at the start, with another actor considered for the role.
Jim Carrey Was Forced To Turn Down Pirates Of The Caribbean Because Of Bruce Almighty
Among the first to be considered for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow was none other than Jim Carrey. According to Koimoi, Jim Carrey would even read for the role, and it was his. However, a scheduling conflict caused him to back out of the role.
Koimoi writes, "Many actors were considered for Captain Jack Sparrow before Johnny Depp. This includes Jim Carrey, who auditioned for the Pirates of the Caribbean character after being offered."
"However, it is said that The Mask actor turned down the role due to a conflicting schedule with his 2003 film Bruce Almighty."
Although Carrey missed out on a franchise worth billions, his film Bruce Almighty was very profitable at the box office, bringing in $486 million off a budget of $81 million.
A major reason for the film's success, was its star-studded cast which featured Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and of course, Jim Carrey, among others.
As for Pirates of the Caribbean, the film would thrive, but almost ran into a disaster during the second film.
Pirates Of The Caribbean Almost Ended After A Potentially Disastrous Second Film
Alongside ABC News, Jerry Bruckheimer discussed some behind the scenes details related to the film. It was revealed that the second film just avoided a disaster. Just weeks prior to its release, edits were still being made behind the scenes.
"We had a picture that was about 2 [hours], 35 [minutes]," he said. "So we had to shape it down to a length where we feel the story works, and so I think the picture runs 2 [hours], 7 [minutes], plus credits," Jerry revealed.
Things only got worse after the second film tested poorly.
"It was a disaster," he said. "The kids didn't like it. ... We were ready to slit our wrists. We got the liquor out. I'm telling you, we thought our careers were over."
Thankfully, there was enough time to change the film, following its poor showing. It was deemed that the second film was initially too complicated, and that the younger audience didn't understand the story.
After the film was switched up and made easier to understand, it once again thrived, bringing in over $1 billion at the box office. At that point it was clear, the film was going to be a major franchise.