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Quiz about First Choice for the Part
Quiz about First Choice for the Part

First Choice for the Part Trivia Quiz


Some of the most memorable roles in movies and television were actually intended for other actors! Take this quiz and imagine "what if..."

A multiple-choice quiz by InXanadu. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
InXanadu
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
153,433
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
3818
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. This television heartthrob might have made a great Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but he had to pass because he couldn't get out of his TV contract. Who is he? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. This gal was all set to sign for the pivotal role of Regan in "The Exorcist", but her mother read the script and wouldn't let her do it. She later became famous on TV anyway, but later her life took a tragic turn. Who was she? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This actor holds the distinction of turning down BOTH roles which won Jack Nicholson his first two Academy Awards (for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Terms of Endearment"). When he finally got his own first nomination in the late 1990s, it was for a role he initially tuned down until his agent had him reconsider. Who is this actor? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The role of Jessica Fletcher on "Murder She Wrote" was created with this actress in mind. She made her film debut in the 1958 musical, "Damn Yankees!", but by 1984 was much better known for her popular 'seventies TV role. Unfortunately, she didn't think the part suited her, and the part went to Angela Lansbury. Who was the first choice? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This person was the first choice to play Rizzo in "Grease", but her very famous parent refused to have her submit to a screen test. Two years later, she finally landed a part in a different movie alongside another pop star. Who is she? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Much to the relief of "American Beauty" fans, this comic actor turned down Kevin Spacey's Oscar-winning role, which might have helped his sagging film career. He claimed he wanted to focus on "family-oriented" fare, even though his latest role at the time was as a doctor in the crude Norm McDonald flick, "Dirty Work". Who is he? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Rebecca DeMornay's role as the chillingly vengeful nanny in "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" was first offered to someone twelve years older who had been a star in the 1970s and made a comeback in the 1980s on TV. Who turned down Rebecca's role? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This actor barely had the part of the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz" for one day when he developed a severe reaction to the silvery makeup. He went on to television stardom in the sixties and seventies. Who was he? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This actor, not known for action roles, was offered the lead in "Die Hard". Instead, he decided to wait two years, and reaffirmed his sex symbol status with a couple of big hit films in 1990. Who is he? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Although she was barely known to U.S. audiences, this now highly respected actress was the first choice to play scary Alex in "Fatal Attraction". She found the script "regressive in its attitudes", so the part went to Glenn Close. Five years later in 1992, she earned her first Oscar nomination in a supporting role as a woman whose husband has an affair which destroys their entire family, and played a treacherous terrorist that same year. Who is she? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This television heartthrob might have made a great Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but he had to pass because he couldn't get out of his TV contract. Who is he?

Answer: Tom Selleck

Selleck was the only actor of the four who had found television stardom by 1981. He has been philosophical about missing out on the part in interviews, noting that he wouldn't have been considered in the first place without his exposure on "Magnum P.I."
2. This gal was all set to sign for the pivotal role of Regan in "The Exorcist", but her mother read the script and wouldn't let her do it. She later became famous on TV anyway, but later her life took a tragic turn. Who was she?

Answer: Dana Plato

Plato started playing Kimberly on "Diff'rent Strokes" five years after "Exorcist". She was dropped from the show due to her pregnancy, and soon fell into heavy drug use. She was jailed briefly after a highly publicized botched video store hold up, made some straight-to-video movies, then was found dead of an apparently intentional drug overdose in May of 1999.

A sad end to a sad life. In spite of this, her teenage son has said that he would like to act.
3. This actor holds the distinction of turning down BOTH roles which won Jack Nicholson his first two Academy Awards (for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Terms of Endearment"). When he finally got his own first nomination in the late 1990s, it was for a role he initially tuned down until his agent had him reconsider. Who is this actor?

Answer: Burt Reynolds

Reynolds balked at the idea of playing an pornography mogul in 1997's "Boogie Nights", saying that he hated the script. (Yet for some reason he had no problem with Demi Moore's "Striptease".) After his agent convinced him to accept the role, he was nominated for his first Oscar. He ended up losing the award to a gracious Robin Williams ("Good Will Hunting") in 1998.
4. The role of Jessica Fletcher on "Murder She Wrote" was created with this actress in mind. She made her film debut in the 1958 musical, "Damn Yankees!", but by 1984 was much better known for her popular 'seventies TV role. Unfortunately, she didn't think the part suited her, and the part went to Angela Lansbury. Who was the first choice?

Answer: Jean Stapleton

Stapleton was the inimitable Edith Bunker for eight seasons of "All in the Family". Like many actors/actresses who create an unforgettable TV character, Stapleton had trouble getting other roles, outside of some highly-rated TV movies and the 1984 feature film, "The Buddy System". She returned to the big screen with John Travolta in 1996's "Michael". Check her out in "Damn Yankees!"
5. This person was the first choice to play Rizzo in "Grease", but her very famous parent refused to have her submit to a screen test. Two years later, she finally landed a part in a different movie alongside another pop star. Who is she?

Answer: Lucie Arnaz

"Grease" producer Allen Carr wanted Lucie right from the start, and wanted to see her alongside Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. But her mother, Lucille Ball, called him and said, "I used to own that studio; my daughter's not doing a screen test." Paramount put its foot down, and Arnaz was history.

She ended up playing opposite singer Neil Diamond in "The Jazz Singer", her only well known film.
6. Much to the relief of "American Beauty" fans, this comic actor turned down Kevin Spacey's Oscar-winning role, which might have helped his sagging film career. He claimed he wanted to focus on "family-oriented" fare, even though his latest role at the time was as a doctor in the crude Norm McDonald flick, "Dirty Work". Who is he?

Answer: Chevy Chase

Maybe it was easier to picture Chevy in the role before Kevin made it his own. Chevy did make a family comedy in 2000, "Snow Day", which turned a tidy profit. He then took a hit in 2002 when a book about 'Saturday Night Live' came out and included details of his rude, arrogant behavior as a cast member and later guest.
7. Rebecca DeMornay's role as the chillingly vengeful nanny in "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" was first offered to someone twelve years older who had been a star in the 1970s and made a comeback in the 1980s on TV. Who turned down Rebecca's role?

Answer: Cybill Shepherd

Before "Cradle", Cybill was best known for her role on ABC's "Moonlighting". Before that, she had started as a model, and made a great debut in 1971's "The Last Picture Show". She made two more good films after that, among a series of flops. She turned down the role because she found it demeaning. DeMornay felt the opposite way, that it would be "anti-woman" to only show men in villainous roles, so she gladly took the part.
8. This actor barely had the part of the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz" for one day when he developed a severe reaction to the silvery makeup. He went on to television stardom in the sixties and seventies. Who was he?

Answer: Buddy Ebsen

Ebsen ended up outliving the entire principal cast of "The Wizard of Oz"! He starred in TV's "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Barnaby Jones". In the 1980s, he garnered some bad publicity when his "Hillbillies" co-star, Nancy Kulp, ran for public office. He appeared in a campaign ad for her opponent! ("He was no Buddy to me," said Nancy.) Ebsen died in 2003 at the age of 95.
9. This actor, not known for action roles, was offered the lead in "Die Hard". Instead, he decided to wait two years, and reaffirmed his sex symbol status with a couple of big hit films in 1990. Who is he?

Answer: Richard Gere

His 1990 hits were "Pretty Woman" and "Internal Affairs". Gere is a peace-loving Buddhist, and usually eschews roles in violent movies. His only recent action movie at that time was "No Mercy" in 1986. He is close friends with the Dalai Lama, and devotes much of his off time to humanitarian causes. If you are not a fan of Bruce Willis, blame Gere for his cinematic success.
10. Although she was barely known to U.S. audiences, this now highly respected actress was the first choice to play scary Alex in "Fatal Attraction". She found the script "regressive in its attitudes", so the part went to Glenn Close. Five years later in 1992, she earned her first Oscar nomination in a supporting role as a woman whose husband has an affair which destroys their entire family, and played a treacherous terrorist that same year. Who is she?

Answer: Miranda Richardson

In 1985, Richardson ("Sleepy Hollow") made a stunning film debut in the little-seen "Dance with a Stranger". That caught the eye of "Fatal Attraction" producers, but she wouldn't do it. She did, however, make a splendid villain in 1992's "The Crying Game" as an IRA terrorist.

She was expected to have been nominated for this role, but instead her nomination came for "Damage", described in the question above. Imagine the "Damage" she could have done as Alex! Thanks for playing!
Source: Author InXanadu

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor JuniorTheJaws before going online.
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