3 Movies Robin Williams Turned Down and 3 Times The Oscar Winner Did Not Get the Role He Wanted

Robin Williams was and still is one of the most incredible actors to ever grace the silver screen. Starting as a stand-up comedian, he went on to give remarkable performances throughout his decades-long career. However, despite being one of the most talented actors in the industry, there were some projects that did not work out for him. The following list explores some of the roles that the actor either turned down or missed out on.

Roles that Robin Williams Either Turned Down or Did Not Get

Howard the Duck (1986)

Based on the Marvel character of the same name, Williard Huyck’s 1986 film Howard the Duck follows the adventures of a humanlike duck who finds himself stranded on Earth. The title character was voiced by Chip Zien. However, before he joined the project, Robin Williams was cast as the voice of Howard the Duck.

The actor reportedly worked for a few days but left the project due to frustration with synchronizing his voice with the animatronic puppet. “I can’t do this. It is insane. I can’t get the rhythm of this. I am being confined. I am being handcuffed in order to match the flapping duck’s bill,” Chip Zien recalled Williams’ words, as per The Hollywood Reporter. The movie turned out to be a box office failure and has since been considered one of the worst Marvel films ever made.

Batman Forever (1995)

Robin Williams almost joined two Batman film series in the 90s. The actor was first offered the role of Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman. However, the role of the DC villain went to Jack Nicholson. There were reportedly talks of casting him as Riddler in the Batman sequel before Danny DeVito was cast as Penguin.

After Joel Schumacher started working on Batman Forever, there were once again discussions about casting the Oscar winner in the role of Riddler. However, he turned down the offer as he thought that the character was “not as comedic as the Riddler played by Frank Gorshin on the TV series,” as per Entertainment Weekly via Screenrant. Jim Carrey was eventually cast in the film.

Milk (2008)

The 2008 biographical drama Milk follows the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk. Starring Sean Penn in the lead role, the movie was highly praised and went on to earn numerous accolades, including two Oscars for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay at the 81st Academy Awards.

The movie was reportedly under production for years, and the late actor Robin Williams joined the project in the early 90s with director Gus Van Sant. However, the filmmaker left the project soon, after citing creative differences with the studio. Although he returned to work on the film, Williams decided to move on after the project was delayed for over a decade.

Midnight Run (1988)

The role of Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas in the 1988 action comedy Midnight Run was one of the roles that Robin Williams highly desired to play. The movie follows Jack, a bounty hunter, who is tasked with finding and capturing an accountant, Jonathan.

Williams was reportedly eager to play the role of Jonathan alongside Robert De Niro and even auditioned for the part. However, the director of the film, Martin Brest, was reportedly quite impressed with De Niro and Grodin’s chemistry and decided to cast the Primetime Emmy winner in the role of Jonathan Mardukas. Midnight Run was a critical and commercial success.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine follows a dysfunctional family who decides to travel across the country when the youngest in the family, Olive, expresses her desire to participate in a beauty pageant. Robin Williams was in talks to play one of the family members, Frank Ginsberg, a scholar who recently attempted suicide.

While the actor reportedly wanted to play the character in the film, it eventually went to The Office star Steve Carell. The film was a box office success, and the cast of the film was praised for their performances. Little Miss Sunshine won two Oscars for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Original Screenplay at the 79th Academy Awards.

Harry Potter (2001-2011)

Another role that Robin Williams really desired to play was that of the gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series. The actor expressed his desire to play the character in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone after he learned about the adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy adventure book series. However, he did not get the part, as the franchise was against casting American actors.

“There were a couple of parts I would have wanted to play, but there was a ban on American actors,” Williams shared during an interview, as per The Guardian. He was still determined to get cast in the franchise and once again tried getting the role of Remus Lupin in Prisoner of Azkaban. But he was turned down for the same reason as before. Robbie Coltrane was eventually cast in the role of Hagrid.

While he may have turned down some and lost some of the roles, Robin Williams has still given several acclaimed performances throughout his career.