10 Black Celebrities Who Missed Out on Roles That Brought Someone Else Fame

Tupac as Jody in Baby Boy Deceased rapper Tupac Shakur was originally supposed to play Jody in the film Baby Boy. According to reports, the role was written for him in 1996, and director John Singleton wanted the West Coast rapper in the movie. The rapper was killed that year, and the movie was put on hold. It came out in 2001, with Jody being portrayed by R&B singer Tyrese Gibson. Gabrielle Union as Olivia Pope in Scandal Actress Gabrielle Union revealed in an interview that she originally auditioned for the role of Olivia Pope on ABC's hit show Scandal. “There’s the whole group of us who auditioned for Scandal that not just fell in love with that project and (show creator) Shonda (Rhimes), but the process, the level of respect that we were given even in the audition process and the world that Shonda created even for us trying. It was like, is there ever gonna be another situation for you like that?” The role went to actress Kerry Washington, and Union ended up playing Mary Jane Paul in BET’s Being Mary Jane instead. Samuel L. Jackson as Morpheus in The Matrix Actor Samuel L. Jackson was originally sought to play Morpheus in The Matrix (1999). Jackson reportedly was approached to play the part but didn't take the role because of a conflict. Actor Laurence Fishburne ended up playing the role. Fantasia Barrino as Effie White in Dreamgirls Singer Fantasia Barrino had auditioned for the film Dreamgirls (2006), but she lost the role to R&B star Jennifer Hudson. Oscar Award-winning actor/singer Jamie Foxx, who also starred in the film, had put his support behind Barrino, but Hudson ended up getting the part to play Effie White on camera. Hudson won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix Many people don't know, but actor/rapper Will Smith was supposed to play Neo in The Matrix instead of actor Keanu Reeves. The star turned down the part to do Wild Wild West (1999), alongside Salma Hayek and Kevin Kline. Smith revealed this information in an interview and said he's glad he didn't take the role of Neo: “I would have absolutely messed up The Matrix. At that point, I wasn’t smart enough as an actor to let the movie be — whereas Keanu was.” Aaliyah as Alex in Charlie's Angels Prior to her death in 2001, the late singer/actress Aaliyah auditioned for the film Charlie's Angels (2000). After landing roles in Romeo Must Die (2000) and in Queen of the Damned, which was released in 2002, the entertainer was hoping to get a part in Charlie’s Angels. After she auditioned for the role of Alex Munday, the studio decided to go with actress Lucy Liu, claiming that Aaliyah looked too young for the role. Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Miller in Doubt Oprah Winfrey reportedly wanted to play the role of Mrs. Miller in the critically acclaimed film Doubt (2008). She reportedly asked director John Patrick Shanley about the role. She later auditioned, but Shanley decided to go with actress Viola Davis in the part instead. Davis went on to earn her first Academy Award nomination for her role in the film. Angela Bassett as Leticia in Monster's Ball Actress Angela Bassett was initially approached to play Leticia Musgrove in the film Monster's Ball (2001), but she turned it down. The actress gave an explanation, saying, “I couldn’t do that because it’s such a stereotype about Black women and sexuality.” Actress Halle Berry ended up taking the role, and earning an Academy Award for Best Actress for that film. Lance Gross as Harrison on Scandal Actor Lance Gross auditioned for the role of Harrison on the ABC TV show Scandal. Gross says he was up for the part, but actor Columbus Short won the role instead. Gross talked about it in an interview and gave Short a compliment, saying: “I was up for the Scandal role. Yeah, it hurts. It hurts. But, you know, he’s killing it. He was right for it.” Short will not be returning to the role when the show returns this fall. Halle Berry as Robin in Waiting to Exhale Actress Halle Berry originally auditioned for the role of Robin in Waiting to Exhale (1995), along with actress Robin Givens, but the film's director, Forest Whitaker, gave the part to Lela Rochon. Berry was a relatively new actress at the time and was reportedly passed up on numerous roles.

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