Have you seen a film franchise where the main character has been swapped once or twice? Have you ever done research to find out why the actor or actress split from the production? One person asked a frequented online community, “What actor or actress stupidly left a movie franchise or tv series thinking they were too good for it, only to be never popular again?” Here is what the internet had to say in response.
1. George Lazenby, 007 Franchise
George Lazenby has landed the top spot on this list for the simple fact that he had no acting experience to speak of and garnered the role of 007, James Bond. And for whatever excuse he came up with, his agent convinced Lazenby he had better options out there.
2. Chuck Woolery and the Wheel of misFortune
Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel of Fortune from its debut in 1975 up until 1981. Woolery left the show over a salary dispute, and Pat Sajak and Vana White have been running the show ever since, 40 plus years now.
3. Ja Rule and the Fast and Furious Franchise
Ja Rule admitted that he had his own reasons for leaving the franchise, and he had a deep conversation with Vin Diesel after declining a second appearance. What Ja didn’t discuss was how silly he feels being replaced by Ludacris, who turned the role into a franchise front-runner.
4. David Caruso leaving NYPD Blue
After one successful season on NYPD Blue, Caruso thought he could up his salary to $100,000 per episode, and that didn’t go over well. This led to salary disputes between the NYPD Blue one and done-er and ABC. The disagreement ended with David Caruso leaving the show after a single season.
5. Kathrine Heigl Didn’t Like Knocked Up
This situation is just a little different. Once, Heigl was nominated for an Emmy that she felt she didn’t deserve, so she withdrew from the award nomination and stated it was due to bad writing. And she continued by stating she didn’t like the film Knocked Up, and it seems like it was all downhill after that for her.
6. McLean Stevenson’s Departure from MASH
One individual pointed out, “After a string of high-profile flops, Stevenson famously lamented, ‘I thought people loved McLean Stevenson. It turned out they loved Henry Blake.’
7. Sean Connery Turned Down the Role of Gandalf
Apparently, Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings to include the great salary and handsome bonus that came along with the role. Many film enthusiasts estimated the total payday to be somewhere around $450 million. The next role he took was in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and we all know had that turned out.
8. Topher Grace Left That 70s Show
Topher Grace has a bit of a special circumstance. He made so much money from That 70s Show between paychecks and royalties he had the creative freedom to pick and choose his roles as he saw them fit. Granted, none of the roles landed him in superstardom, but he isn’t breaking his neck for roles just for the money, either.
9. Leonard Nimoy Requested the Death of Spock
Nimoy personally requested for his character to be killed off in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The great man known to the world as Dr. Spock felt he was finished playing an unemotional, super intelligent, inhuman being. But he was blessed with an offer that he couldn’t refuse, then Nimoy found himself in the director’s seat.
10. Farrah Fawcett Leaving Charlie’s Angels
Someone exclaimed, “She was huge when she left Charlie’s Angels to “expand her career” and while she did some interesting and critically acclaimed work, her overall body of work is small and sporadic compared to what a major star she was.”
11. Taylor Lautner and the End of Twilight
More than thirty-five hundred film fanatics agreed, “He didn’t ‘leave’ the Twilight movies, but Taylor Lautner was supposed to be the next big action movie star, and outside of being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend in that Valentine’s Day movie, I’ve never seen him again.”
12. Ed Marinaro Leaving Hill Street Blues
“Ed Marinaro left Hill Street Blues. He left his role when the show was hot at the time.” Another screen gazer noted, “Marinaro was never to return to the success he enjoyed on that show.”
13. Benjamin Bratt After Leaving Law & Order
A final commenter nominated Benjamin Bratt, saying, “He left Law & Order to capitalize on his stardom, and he hasn’t been in much since The Cleaner and Miss Congeniality.” Don’t get me started on the horrible Catwoman film with Halle Berry.
Source: Reddit
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