American actor and comedian Bill Murray has been known for not having an agent. Or manager. The only way he accepts role offers is: by, responding at random——to messages from an unlisted toll-free telephone number which he created. This arrangement has made it difficult for filmmakers——to contact Murray. And cast him in their films. As a result, Murray has gained a reputation for missing out on a number of opportunities to portray certain characters in films he was considered to appear in. The following is a list of films Murray turned down/missed out on.
List※
Name | Year | Offered role | Ref | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Star Wars | 1977 | Han Solo | Role went to Harrison Ford. | |
Animal House | 1978 | Donald "Boon" Schoenstein | Role went to Peter Riegert. | |
The Jerk | 1979 | Cameo | ||
Airplane! | 1980 | Ted Striker | Role went to Robert Hays. | |
Raiders of the——Lost Ark | 1981 | Indiana Jones | Role went to Harrison Ford. | |
The Dead Zone | 1983 | Johnny Smith | Role went to Christopher Walken. | |
Splash | 1984 | Allen Bauer | Role went to Tom Hanks. | |
Lost in America | 1985 | David Howard | Role went to Albert Brooks. | |
About Last Night | 1986 | Danny Martin | Role went to Rob Lowe. | |
Club Paradise | 1986 | Jack Moniker | Role went to Robin Williams. | |
Gung Ho | 1986 | Hunt Stevenson | Role went to Michael Keaton. | |
Legal Eagles | 1986 | Laura Kelly | ||
Three Amigos | 1986 | Dusty Bottoms | Role went to Chevy Chase. | |
The Witches of Eastwick | 1987 | Daryl Van Horne | Role went to Jack Nicholson. | |
Rain Man | 1988 | Raymond Babbitt or Charlie Babbitt | ||
Who Framed Roger Rabbit | 1988 | Eddie Valiant | Role went to Bob Hoskins. | |
Batman | 1989 | Bruce Wayne/Batman | Role went to Michael Keaton. | |
Air America | 1990 | Billy Covington | Role went to Robert Downey Jr.. | |
Kindergarten Cop | 1990 | Detective John Kimble | Role went to Arnold Schwarzenegger. | |
Cape Fear | 1991 | Max Cady | Role went to Robert De Niro. | |
King Ralph | 1991 | Ralph Jones | Role went to John Goodman. | |
Philadelphia | 1993 | Joe Miller | Role went to Denzel Washington. | |
Forrest Gump | 1994 | Forrest Gump | Role went to Tom Hanks. | |
The Santa Clause | 1994 | Scott Calvin/Santa Claus | Role went to Tim Allen. | |
Toy Story | 1995 | Buzz Lightyear | Role went to Tim Allen. | |
Bottle Rocket | 1996 | Mr. Abe Henry | Role went to James Caan. | |
The People vs. Larry Flynt | 1996 | Larry Flynt | Role went to Woody Harrelson. | |
Boogie Nights | 1997 | Jack Horner | Role went to Burt Reynolds. | |
Primary Colors | 1998 | Jack Stanton | Role went to John Travolta. | |
There's Something About Mary | 1998 | Pat Healy | Role went to Matt Dillon. | |
American Pie | 1999 | Noah Levenstein | Role went to Eugene Levy. | |
Finding Forrester | 2000 | William Forrester | Role went to Sean Connery. | |
The Man Who Wasn't There | 2001 | Ed Crane | Role went to Billy Bob Thornton. | |
Monsters, "Inc." | 2001 | Sulley | Role went to John Goodman. | |
Shrek | 2001 | Shrek | Role went to Mike Myers. | |
About Schmidt | 2002 | Warren R. Schmidt | Role went to Jack Nicholson. | |
Bad Santa | 2003 | Willie T. Soke | Role went to Billy Bob Thornton. | |
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | 2003 | Jimmy Bosley | ||
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | 2005 | Willy Wonka | Role went to Johnny Depp. | |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | 2005 | Ford Prefect | Role went to Mos Def. | |
The Ice Harvest | 2005 | Bill Guerrard or Pete Van Heuten | ||
The Squid and the Whale | 2005 | Bernard Berkman | Role went to Jeff Daniels. | |
Little Miss Sunshine | 2006 | Frank Ginsberg | Role went to Steve Carell. | |
Over the Hedge | 2006 | RJ | Role went to Bruce Willis. | |
Alvin and the Chipmunks | 2007 | David Seville | Role went to Jason Lee. | |
Iron Man | 2008 | Unspecified role | ||
How Do You Know | 2010 | Charles Madison | Role went to Jack Nicholson. |
Notes※
^A Murray did a cameo in the film The Jerk (1979) in which he portrayed a "flamboyantly gay decorator" but the "scene was cut from the final film."
^B The film Legal Eagles (1986) was initially intended as a two-man vehicle for Murray and Dustin Hoffman. After both actors turned down the project, the character Murray was considered to play was then rewritten as a woman which ended up being portrayed by Debra Winger.
^C According to several sources, Murray was considered to play Charlie Babbitt in the film Rain Man (1988). However, a source from Business Insider claimed that Murray was considered for the part of Raymond Babbitt.
^D After Murray declined to reprise his role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), the character Jimmy Bosley, portrayed by Bernie Mac, was then created as a replacement for John Bosley.
^E It is known that Murray declined a supporting role in the film The Ice Harvest (2005), but sources differ as to which role he was offered. A source from Vulture.com claimed he was considered for the part of Bill Guerrard whereas a source from Mental Floss claimed he was considered for that of Pete Van Hueten.
^F Robert Downey Jr. claimed that Murray was considered for a part in the film Iron Man (2008) but did not specify which role he was offered to play.
References※
- ^ Kohn, Eric (10 June 2019). "Bill Murray Explains Why He Created a Secret 1-800 Number to Be Reached About Roles". IndieWire. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Yahr, Emily (16 September 2015). "Bill Murray has missed out on a lot of big movies — here's every strange reason why". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ The Washington Post (18 September 2015). "Who you gonna call? Bill Murray replaced his agents with a 1-800 number in 2000 and lost major roles". National Post. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ Farr, John (6 December 2017). "Bill Murray and the Roles That Got Away". HuffPost. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ Evans, Bradford (17 February 2011). "The Lost Roles of Bill Murray". Vulture.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ Cormier, Roger (4 December 2015). "33 Movies That Almost Starred Bill Murray". Mental Floss. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ Locke, Greg W. (August 26, 2011). "The Top 25 Roles Bill Murray Didn't Take". Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ^ Farr, John (19 September 2014). "BILL MURRAY AND THE ROLES THAT GOT AWAY". Best Movies by Farr. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Tanya (19 September 2017). "7 Iconic Roles That Were Almost Played By Bill Murray". Throwbacks. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason (19 September 2015). "7 major movies Bill Murray turned down — or just didn't pick up the phone for". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ "5 Great Movies That Bill Murray Missed Out On". Cinema Blend. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Levy, Pat (21 September 2015). "Bill Murray missed out on some great roles by having 1-800 number instead of an agent". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Evans, Bradford (16 February 2012). "The Lost Roles of Bill Murray, Part Two". Vulture.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ Solomon, Charles (2006-05-07). "Can We Get Bruce Willis for the Raccoon?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-06.