3. John Travolta: Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump

It’s almost hard to believe it, but the quintessential Tom Hanks role as Forrest Gump was initially offered to John Travolta who declined to take part in the film.

While many stars claim that they don’t regret turning down ultimately iconic roles, Travolta has readily admitted that refusing the role wasn’t his best decision.

Hanks also had to wait for Bill Murray and Chevy Chase to turn down the role before it finally went to him.

“Forrest Gump” is one of the most beloved movies of all time.

The film earned Hanks his second Oscar making him only the second actor in history to win an Academy Award for Best Actor two years running.

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Travolta also refused roles in both Splash and Apollo 13 which Hanks eventually starred in. Although John Travolta has enjoyed a successful movie career, he has never received the same amount of critical acclaim for his work as Hanks.

He has managed to put in a few memorable turns in films such as “Saturday Night Fever”, “Grease”, “Pulp Fiction” and “Face Off.” Unfortunately, the actor has starred in far more flops than successes such as “Urban Cowboy”, “Battlefield Earth” “Broken Arrow”, and “Lonely Hearts.”

Travolta took a step back from his career in 2009 after the tragic death of his son Jett in 2009.