George Clooney Said ‘No F***ing Way’ to 1 Star-Studded Film That Flopped Hard
To really succeed in Hollywood, stars have to be talented, attractive, and able to draw audiences. But there’s another skill that, if it fails, can ruin an otherwise promising career. Actors have to know which roles are the right ones to accept and which ones they should turn down. Take, for instance, George Clooney. He seems to have honed this skill pretty well — although he’s not perfect.
George Clooney refused a role in ‘Movie 43’ emphatically
You don’t get to be a megastar like George Clooney without having a few missteps along the way (like, say, Batman and Robin). But for the most part, Clooney has managed to make excellent choices when selecting roles.
Of course, that also means he’s got a pretty good feel for when he should reject a role as well. According to Vulture, this was exactly what happened when he was approached about appearing in the 2013 film Movie 43. Not only did he pass on the opportunity to be a part of the crude comedy, but he reportedly told the directors “no f******* way.”
The movie went on without him, and it boasted a cast that was stuffed with talent and star power. But none of that was enough to save it.
Who was in ‘Movie 43’?
The movie did abysmally, earning a crushing 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This was despite having a truly star-studded cast. The actors in Movie 43 included Halle Berry, Kate Winslet, Richard Gere, Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Uma Thurman, Liev Schreiber, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Faris, and Chris Pratt.
With that many A-listers, you’d expect the movie to be a hit. However, not only was it a flop, but some of the actors who were approached about it could also tell it wouldn’t do well. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were offered roles, but they opted out. Collin Farrel backed out after initially agreeing to appear. Producer Peter Farrelly even seemed to understand why he wouldn’t want to sign up.
“It’s like, c’mon, Colin, you saw sense and backed out — admit it,” he said.
Other roles George Clooney turned down
Clooney’s instincts were clearly right about Movie 43. And he also made the right choice when he was asked to be a part of the movie Wild Wild West. He wanted to do it, but scheduling ultimately got in the way.
“We knew going into this that to make it work would be a stretch, but the opportunity to work with Will (Smith) and Barry (Sonnenfeld) was too exciting to pass up,” Clooney explained. “Ultimately, we all decided that rather than damage this project trying to retrofit the role for me, it was better to step aside and let them get someone else.”
That turned out to be a good thing for Clooney, because the film went on to be a flop.
But not all the roles he turned down were a good idea. According to Us Weekly, he was offered the role of young Noah in the 2004 adaptation of The Notebook. As much as he liked the project, he was too intimidated by the fact that Paul Newman was supposed to play the older version of his character.
“He’s one of the handsomest guys you’ve ever seen. We met up [again] and I said, ‘I can’t play you. I don’t look anything like you. This is insane,'” he said. The Notebook went on to become a massive hit.
