#10 Will Smith (Neo In The Matrix) - Will Smith passed on the role of Neo saying that
The Matrix was a "difficult concept to pitch." Then the Fresh Prince added a little insult to injury and decided to star in
I, Robot instead.
#9 Jim Carrey (Dr. Evil In Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery) -
According to IMDB, Carrey was originally cast as Dr. Evil but had to leave the film because of a scheduling conflict with Liar Liar.
#8 Kevin Costner (Bill In Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2) - K-Cos supposedly turned down the role of Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 opting to direct
Open Range instead. I think we should all take the time to write Kevin a letter and personally thank him for making such a horrible career decision.
#7 Sean Connery (Gandalf In The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy) - Connery reportedly turned down the role of Gandalf due to the rigorous 18-month filming schedule. Connery and his mentally challenged agent also turned down the role of Morpheus in
The Matrix.
#6 Robert DeNiro (Josh Baskin In Big) - Penny Marshall originally offered the lead role in
Big to Deniro instread of Tom Hanks. Poor Bobby was rejected because his six million dollar salary demand was too high and the world was spared from ever having to see Deniro and Robert Loggia dance on a giant piano together.
#5 Jean Claude Van Damme (Predator In Predator) - JCVD was originally cast as the Predator creature. Once the director compared him to Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jessie Ventura it became apparent that a "taller" man was needed to make the creature appear more threatening. Van Damme also allegedly complained on numerous occasions that he would not appear on camera without the suit in the film.
#4 Nick Nolte (Han Solo In The Star Wars Trilogy) - Nolte was one of four finalists (Christopher Walken, Burt Reynolds and Harrison Ford were the others) for the role of Han Solo and he apparently lost the role at the last minute. Thankfully Harrison Ford was offered the part instead and Nolte went on to do
48 Hours.
#3 Tom Selleck (Indiana Jones In Raiders Of The Lost Ark) - Selleck was originally cast as Indiana Jones, but was unable to take the role because he already committed to
Magnum P.I. Selleck eventually did an episode that parodied
Raiders of the Lost Ark complete with hat, whip and booby traps.
#2 Bill Murray (Bruce Wayne In Batman) - Murray was one of the
frontrunners to play the Caped Crusader when the studio originally wanted to create a big screen replica of the 1960s TV version starring Adam West. Bill was eventually removed from consideration once director Tim Burton took the helm of the movie and brought Beetlejuice with him.
#1 OJ Simpson (The Terminator) - "The Juice" was originally considered for the role of the Terminator, but James Cameron and the producers finally decided that Simpson was "too nice" to be taken seriously as a cold-blooded
killer. I think they call that irony.
The Red Dragon fish, also known as Arowana, is considered a good luck charm, in Chinese culture, and sells for unbelievably high prices. 
