Making it big in Hollywood comes down to landing the right role at the right time. Some people can find this in an instant, while others can take years to find their chance. Once a star breaks it big, they have to work even harder to stay on top.
Tom Hanks broke out and never looked back year ago, and he's worked with everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Matt Damon. Hanks normally chooses amazing projects, but at one point, he nearly sunk his red-hot streak in the 90s with a terrible film.
Let's see which disaster of a film turned down Tom Hanks and saved his career.
Tom Hanks Is An Acting Legend
Few performers in the history of the film business have been as acclaimed and as successful as Tom Hanks has been. The actor gained notoriety in the 80s, and once he was given the green light to be a leading man in Hollywood, he went on to conquer the industry and raise the bar for everyone else looking to take his spot at the top.
Bosom Buddies was an 80s television project that helped Hanks get acquainted with audiences, but transitioning to the big screen was the right move to make for the actor. Splash helped put him on the map, and the 80s would be rounded out with movies like The Money Pit, Dragnet, Big, and Turner & Hooch.
Of course, Hanks would take things a step further in the 90s. His work that decade alone is filled with major hits like A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan, You're Got Mail, Toy Story 2, and The Green Mile. Yeah, most people can have an entire career without that many hits, and Hanks did it in a span of 10 years.
As great as things have been for Hanks, even he has missed out on some golden opportunities.
He's Missed Out On Big Projects
Thanks to being a major film actor since the 1980s, it goes without saying that Tom Hanks has had more than a few tempting offers come his way. Not only have offers come his way, but studios have long considered him a top performer and have penciled him in for a number of roles in potential hits.
According to NotStarring, Tom Hanks has been up for some huge projects that could have boosted his already impressive career. Through the years, Hanks has been in contention for movies like Ghost, Batman Forever, Cold Mountain, Field of Dreams, Gangs of New York, Hook, Jerry Maguire, and a whole lot more. Believe us when we say that this barely scratches the surface of the movies that he has been considered for.
Now, for one reason or another, Hanks was unable to appear in these projects. Sometimes, the studio chose to go a different route, and other times, Hanks went in a different direction himself. This is an important point, as Hanks has shown a penchant for choosing the right movie at the right time on a consistent basis.
Despite his normally good judgment helping him mightily, Hanks tried his best to star in a film that wound up turning into a box office bomb.
He Dodged A Bullet By Losing Out On 'Super Mario Bros'
Some might find this hard to believe, but Super Mario Bros, a movie that has gone down in infamy thanks to being a terrible video game adaptation, denied Tom Hanks the chance to star in it. Yes, Tom Hanks actually wanted to be the star of this film, but the studio decided to put someone else in the starring role.
Super Mario Bros was a massive disaster, and Bob Hoskins was the one that got the chance to star as Mario. Hanks must have been shocked that the studio didn't want to have him on board, but not getting the lead in this disaster opened up the door for some other movies to come his way.
According to TV Overmind, Hanks would instead go on to star in a little movie called Sleepless in Seattle, which was a monumental success when it hit theaters years ago. Instead of sinking with a flop, Hanks once again found himself at the top of Hollywood with another hit movie under his belt.
As hard at it may be to believe, the Super Mario Bros movie chose to go with the talented Bob Hoskins as Mario. Unfortunately, the movie flopped, and truth be told, not even Tom Hanks could have saved this movie.