Denzel Washington is undoubtedly one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, but he is not immune to losing (or turning down) big roles.

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Denzel Washington has had many prolific roles over his long and lustrous film career, but the actor has also had many parts that he either missed out on out of his own volition or because the casting producers turned him down. Of course, that has not slowed him down at all, as seen in his expansive filmography and numerous award wins.

Washington won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Glory and an Oscar for Best Actor for his part in Training Day. He was also nominated for the prestigious honor for his work in Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Flight, Fences, Roman J. Israel, Esq., and The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Some of Washington’s other prominent movies include The Pelican Brief, Philadelphia, Much Ado About Nothing, Crimson Tide, Courage Under Fire, Remember the Titans, Man on Fire, Inside Man, American Gangster, and The Equalizer trilogy. Despite the actor’s impressive career, he has lost out on a handful of roles in iconic films.

10A Perfect World

The 1993 crime drama film A Perfect World starred Kevin Costner as Robert “Butch” Haynes, a convict who escaped from prison and took a young boy hostage while he was on the run from law enforcement.

The movie, which was directed by Clint Eastwood, did not garner a lot of success at the box office, but many critics praised Costner’s performance. However, Costner was not Eastwood’s first pick to play Butch. Initially, the director wanted Denzel Washington to play the role, but the actor turned the part down.

9Michael Clayton

George Clooney starred as the titular character in Michael Clayton, which told the story of Michael Clayton, a lawyer and a known “fixer” who uncovers corruption related to one of the clients of his law firm in New York City.

The movie was a massive hit and garnered a lot of attention during awards season in 2007. Michael Clayton was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Karen Crowder.

Clooney was also nominated and didn’t win, but the role of Michael Clayton was almost played by Denzel Washington.

Washington received the script for Michael Clayton and was impressed, but he ultimately turned down the part because it was Tony Gilroy’s directorial debut. He was nervous about taking that leap.

But Washington later admitted that he made a mistake in passing on Michael Clayton because of how successful it was.

8Amistad

Steven Spielberg’s 1997 historical drama Amistad told the true story of what happened on La Amistad, a Spanish slave ship, in 1839. The slaves took control of the vessel, and a battle ensued.

Djimon Hounsou played Joseph Cinqué, one of the slaves aboard the ship, and his performance thrust him into the spotlight in Hollywood. However, the role almost went to Denzel Washington, who turned it down because he did not want to play a slave.
7Hotel Rwanda

It should come as no surprise that Denzel Washington is a hot commodity in Hollywood and has been offered plenty of prestigious roles over the years.

But in the case of Hotel Rwanda, director Terry George always wanted Don Cheadle to play Paul Rusesabagina in the 2004 movie based on the Rwandan genocide.

The studios pushed back against casting Cheadle, and the executives wanted someone like Washington for the role. George ultimately got his way, though, and Cheadle would go on to get an Oscar nomination for his work in Hotel Rwanda.

648 Hrs.

Before Eddie Murphy was cast to play Reggie Hammond in the 1982 buddy cop film 48 Hrs., the casting producers considered Denzel Washington for the part.

They eventually settled on Murphy, so it sounds like they decided not to go with Washington instead of Washington turning down the role.

The movie revolved around a cop (played by Nick Nolte) and a convict (played by Murphy) who surprisingly joined forces to catch two criminals, and they only had 48 hours to do so.

5Dreamgirls

Bill Condon adapted the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls into a feature film in 2006, and the movie told the story of a girl group from Detroit called “The Dreams” and their journey to stardom.

Jamie Foxx played Curtis Taylor Jr., a record executive who discovered the girl group and took advantage of them. Although Foxx was chosen for the part, the producers of the musical drama film almost went with Denzel Washington.

The actor turned the role down, though, because he can’t sing, and Foxx can.

4I, Robot

Will Smith played the lead character, Detective Del Spooner, in the 2004 science fiction action film I, Robot. However, before Smith accepted the part, producers first turned to Denzel Washington to see if he would be interested in starring in the movie, which was set in a future where robots are slowly but surely taking over the world. The actor turned it down, and the rest is history.

3Blade

Wesley Snipes completely embodied the role of Eric Brooks/Blade in the 1998 superhero movie Blade. Before principal photography took place, the head of the studio producing the film suggested that Denzel Washington be offered the part instead.

Director David S. Goyer’s gut told him to go with Snipes, though, and he got his way at the end of the day.

2Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The sequel to the successful 1984 science fiction action film The Terminator, The Terminator 2: Judgment Day, features the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the titular character. The movie also introduced a new minor character, Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson, played by Joe Morton. However, the producers first offered the role to Denzel Washington, who turned it down because it wasn’t the part he was looking for.

1Se7en

Denzel Washington almost took the role that would ultimately go to Brad Pitt in Se7en. The 1995 crime thriller revolved around Pitt’s David Mills and Morgan Freeman’s William Somerset, two detectives tracking down a serial killer modeling his murders after the seven deadly sins.

Se7en is arguably one of Pitt’s best movies, but it would have looked a lot different had Washington never turned down the role of David Mills because the film was too dark.