Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins made a name for himself playing Richard I in 1968's "The Lion in Winter" and reached legendary status as Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs." But there were roles he missed that made other actors famous.
Here are five roles the actor was considered for but missed.
Mr. Freeze in “Batman & Robin”
Hopkins and Patrick Stewart were on the short list for the part of Mr. Freeze in 1997’s “Batman & Robin,”
New York’s Vulture entertainment culture magazine noted. But the director wanted a “pumped-up giant,” so Arnold Schwarzenegger got the role.
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Alfred in “Batman Begins”
Hopkins turned down the role of Alfred Pennyworth in this 2005 movie,
Comic Book Movie News said. The part went to Michael Caine.
“The Brothers Grimm”
Hopkins was originally cast but bowed out of “The Brothers Grimm,” an adventure-horror film that came out in 2005,
The Daily Telegraph reported. The movie featured Heath Ledger and Matt Damon as a pair of con artists peddling folklore. Critics largely panned the movie.
Grandpa Joe in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
In Tim Burton's version of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in 2005, the role of Grandpa Joe almost went to Hopkins, but David Kelly got the part instead,
the website MovieReviews101 noted.
The title role in “Gandhi”
Hopkins will never be remembered for playing the great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi in this 1982 film, because he never got the part. The role went to Ben Kingsley. Oscar-winning director Richard Attenborough said in his autobiography that: “My own first choice had been Anthony Hopkins, who was really keen and even checked into a health farm, losing a couple of stone before concluding it would be physically impossible,”
Wales Online reported.
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