Hugh Jackman is a household name at this point. Long before you knew him as Wolverine, he was dominating Broadway, and it’s likely he’d have blossomed into a star actor eventually.
Of course, Jackman has to feel pretty fortunate he landed the role of Logan.
Starring in the X-Men franchise undeniably launched an illustrious career, as Jackman had few notable on screen gigs prior to playing Wolverine. After that, well, the rest is history.
Oddly enough, Jackman had many other opportunities at big splashes in Hollywood. As many actors do as they get more famous, he had to turn some really juicy roles down.
Hugh Jackman has made a name for himself and then some, but what if he starred in these roles? To really dive into it, let’s look at the five biggest movie roles Hugh Jackman could have had, but opted against.
5. Crazy, Stupid, Love
This isn’t the biggest movie Hugh Jackman turned down, but he certainly has proven himself as a viable option in rom-com flicks.
Oddly enough, it was because of his work in Kate & Leopold that Jackman ultimately decided against another chick flick.
Most recall that Ryan Gosling took on the role of Jacob Palmer, who was a perfect casting.
Gosling was probably the better choice, of course. He was a younger option and worked beautifully with Steve Carrell. That said, Jackman would have fit in just fine in this film, and it’s certainly a little surprising he opted not to do it.
4. Little Miss Sunshine
On the flip side, Jackman could have been in another Steve Carrell-run film, this time landing the very role that Carrell got.
Jackman was originally offered the part of Frank Ginsberg, but the actor suggested he wasn’t interested in playing such a dark character at the time.
Carrell wound up excelling in this role, even going on to be nominated for an Oscar for his efforts. Considering he’s yet to win an Academy Award, it’s fair to wonder if this could have been Jackman’s shot.
3. Avatar
Hugh Jackman really whiffed here, as he had a shot at latching on with one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time.
Per reports, director James Cameron liked Jackman to play the male lead in the film, a role that eventually went to Sam Worthington.
There’s no doubt Jackman has the dramatic chops to have done a better job in the role, but he decided against such a commitment thanks to his success with the X-Men franchise.
2. Mission: Impossible III
One of the biggest movies Hugh Jackman turned down? A gig in a MI sequel where he could have played a nasty bad guy opposite of Tom Cruise.
The Mission: Impossible franchise is notorious for giving some terrific actors brilliant stages as villains. Rami Malek, Jon Voigt, and Henry Cavill are just a few MI bad guys that have stolen many a scene.
Another one? The late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
He played the role of Owen Davian to perfection, but it was a gig that Hugh Jackman was first considered for.
I’ll admit PSH was probably the right choice, but the rare glimpse at Jackman as a villain would have been loads of fun at such a high level.
1. James Bond
Okay, we’ve certainly touched on some big movie roles Hugh Jackman turned down. I’m sure there are others he could have been in the running for and didn’t land, too.
However, the biggest movie Hugh Jackman turned down has to be the James Bond franchise.
Topping Wolverine and some of his other successful roles would be tough, but James Bond is about as high profile as it gets.
Back in the early 2000s, Jackman was apparently in the running to take over as the new 007, and he could have debuted in the now iconic Casino Royale.
Obviously nobody wishes for a world where we didn’t have Daniel Craig as James Bond. However, wanting to see Hugh Jackman as Bond is something else entirely.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get it with Jackman consumed by the X-Men franchise. We’re already at the point where we’re wondering who will play Wolverine next, but it’s this role that got Jackman to where he is today.
Oddly enough, the production that launched his career ultimately kept him from some pretty amazing projects, too.
These are the biggest roles Hugh Jackman could have had but ultimately didn’t get. Which one do you think should rank #1?
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