Sean Connery could have made $450 million for The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Can you imagine Gandalf crying, “you shall not passh”? That’s what we might have had if Sean Connery accepted Peter Jackson’s offer to play the wizard in The Lord of the Rings. The legendary Bond actor declined, despite being offered $30 million upfront plus 15% of the trilogy’s profits, which would have earned him around $450 million overall. (Ian McKellen didn’t get the same deal.)

Russell Crowe could have made $300 million for The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Sean Connery wasn’t the only superstar who could have earned mad coin from The Lord of the Rings. Before Viggo Mortensen was cast, Russell Crowe was offered Aragorn in exchange for 10% of the trilogy profits. As the three films collectively earned almost $3 billion, this would’ve earned Crowe roughly $300 million. Crowe passed, believing Peter Jackson didn’t really want him in the role.

Matt Damon could have made $292.3 million for Avatar

Before Sam Worthington was cast as space soldier Jake Sully in James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi epic Avatar, the role was first offered to Matt Damon, whose pay deal promised him 10% of the profits. Damon declined to make The Bourne Ultimatum, missing out on the $292.3 million he would have earned after Avatar became the highest earning film ever. (Worthington didn’t get the same deal.)

Natalie Portman or Angelina Jolie could have made $70 million for Gravity

Before Sandra Bullock signed on for 2013’s space-based disaster drama Gravity, the role of Ryan Stone was offered to both Natalie Portman and Angelina Jolie. Assuming these actresses were offered the same deal as Bullock – $20 million upfront, plus 15% of the box office – Portman or Jolie could’ve been $70 million richer. Bullock’s Gravity payday remains the most any actress has earned for one movie.

John Travolta could have made $60 million for Forrest Gump

Back in 1994, John Travolta enjoyed a huge career renaissance thanks to his performance in acclaimed cult classic Pulp Fiction. However, he was offered the chance to appear in another of 1994’s biggest hits: Forrest Gump, which earned Tom Hanks his second Oscar plus a sizeable chunk of change. If Travolta was offered the same deal as Hanks, he missed out on around $60 million.

Will Smith could have made $250 million for The Matrix trilogy

Will Smith’s 1999 would-be blockbuster Wild Wild West proved a critical and commercial failure. The rapper-turned-actor earned much mockery when it came to light that he chose to make that movie instead of playing Neo, the role made famous by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. If Smith was offered Reeves’ deal, he missed out on $250 million from the sci-fi action trilogy.

Chris O’Donnell could have made $125 million for Men in Black

After playing Robin in Batman Forever, Chris O’Donnell was a hot property in Hollywood, and was the first actor offered the role of Agent J in 1997’s Men in Black. To his eternal shame, O’Donnell would instead make Batman & Robin in 1997. Smith wound up earning $125 million from the MIB trilogy, so O’Donnell missed out on a very big payday there.

Hugh Jackman could have made $82.4 million for James Bond

Hugh Jackman became a hot new movie star after playing Wolverine in the X-Men movies, but another major role was on the table for the Australian actor: James Bond. Jackman was considered for 2006’s Casino Royale, but passed as he felt one franchise was enough. The rest is history: Daniel Craig signed on as Bond and made over $80 million for his five films.

Christian Bale could have made $50 million to play Batman once more

Christian Bale became a major leading man and earned around $54 million from his work as Batman in the Dark Knight trilogy. Once Christopher Nolan left the franchise behind, Bale did likewise – even though some reports claimed the British actor was offered $50 million to play Batman just once more, before the character was rebooted with Ben Affleck in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Jerry Seinfeld could have made $110 million for one more season of Seinfeld

Like movie stars, successful TV actors also get offered massive paydays – which they sometimes turn down. When sitcom Seinfeld came to an end in 1998, leading man Jerry Seinfeld had no interest in continuing. This despite the fact that network NBC offered him $5 million per episode for one more season. As one season is usually 22 episodes, Seinfeld would have been $110 million richer.