8 Casting Moves That Could Have Changed the Course of Hollywood History

I don't need to tell you about the importance of casting, right? Picking actors for a movie can make or break it—anyone who doesn't understand this should just watch Colin Farrell in Alexander. WOOF. But from the actors' perspective, casting is just as crucial. Landing or passing on a role can have devastating implications, regardless of whether if it's a mainstay like Tom Cruise or a rising star like Chris Pratt.

You've also all heard of the butterfly effect, right? Of course you have—who doesn't see all of Ashton Kutcher's movies!? The idea of the butterfly effect is that every moment, no matter how infinitesimal, is crucial in determining future circumstances. So just imagine the chaos that would erupt if Actor A was cast in an iconic role instead of Actor B?

We did, actually. We looked at some of the biggest casting decisions in the history of film and imagined what would have happened if they went the other way. Buckle up, Bizarro Hollywood is a weird place to be.

Movie Role: Han Solo, Star Wars (1977)

What Happened: At the height of his career, post-Godfather, Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, Al Pacino was being offered parts in everything. And that included a role in George Lucas' beloved space flick as the resident cool-guy badass. Pacino, though, didn't understand what the fuck was going on when he read the script for Star Wars, so he passed. After also considering James Caan, Kurt Russell and Christopher Walken, Lucas opted to go with Harrison Ford, an actor who he worked with a few years before on American Graffiti.

What Could Have Happened: When Star Wars premieres in 1977, most critics express confusion over why the character Han Solo yells so much, and how his pushiness towards Princess Leia crossed the border between charming and creepy. “Where does one score that much cocaine on Tatooine?” one writer asks. Despite an apparent miscasting, Star Wars is a massive hit, spawning multiple sequels, though Pacino abandons the series after a second movie. He falls back on his previous comfort zone of playing unbalanced Italians, and stars in several Martin Scorsese movies.

Meanwhile, Harrison Ford, having missed out on the George Lucas wave, struggles to find his footing in Hollywood. He makes a push as a TV actor, landing recurring roles on Three's Company, St. Elsewhere and ALF​, and has a respectable career as an actor, though his star power never pops off. In yet another crushing blow, Ford loses the role of Danny Tanner in Full House to Bob Saget, and when Calista Flockhart shuts him down at a party at Ron Howard's house, Ford pretty much just packs it in.

Movie Role: Max Dennison, Hocus Pocus (1993)

What Happened: Things were looking good for young Leo—his part in Growing Pains was a sign that his career was on the up. But the kid wasn't trying to just be good, he was aiming to become one of the legends. So when Disney came calling with a lead role in their upcoming Halloween movie, he didn't jump at it. Instead, he held out in the hopes of landing a role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. And so, Disney settled on Omri Katz.

What Could Have Happened: After nailing the role of Max Dennison in Hocus Pocus, Leo finds comfort in being the dreamy guy in an easygoing movie. He starts dating co-star Vinessa Shaw for a couple months before passing her off to Lukas Haas. Though he's making good money, the itch to do something bold remains—and the necessity to signal a departure from the bubblegum image he's built is dire. He latches onto burgeoning director Paul Thomas Anderson and gets cast as Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights, and from there, the world begins to see how talented Leonardo DiCaprio actually is.

Omri Katz and Mark Wahlberg, the two actors who were beat out by Leo, struggle to make moves. Katz, specifically, is a name of literally no consequence, while Marky Mark is forced to continue underwear modeling until he lands a role in Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. Know what that means? Entourage doesn't exist if Leonardo DiCaprio takes the Hocus Pocus role in 1993.

TV Role: Don Draper, Mad Men (2007)

What Happened: After Thomas Jane turned down the role of Don Draper, telling AMC that he doesn't do TV, creator Matthew Weiner fought to cast a relative unknown in the lead. Two years later, Jane signed on to star in Hung, a TV show.

What Could Have Happened: Mad Men is a critical success, though many thinkpieces are written about how the show remains on the cusp of greatness because of Thomas Jane's aloofness. Episodes like "The Wheel" and "The Suitcase" are described as "good."

Jon Hamm is forced to toil along in obscurity, landing roles like the guy who speaks one line in The Town, instead of the lead FBI agent. He misses out on playing Liz Lemon's boyfriend in 30 Rock, and Saturday Night Live never once thinks about inviting him on to host. As a result, the world never finds out how funny Jon Hamm can be, and no one ever talks about his pants outline. This makes him sad, though he can never quite put a finger on why.

Unable to turn down the chance to make a show about a gigolo, HBO still makes Hung with Gerard Butler, and it is still just as average.

Movie Role: Alison Scott, Knocked Up (2007)

What Happened: Anne Hathaway turned down the lead female role in Judd Apatow's movie because they were going to show a vagina. Not her vagina, but someone's. And she just couldn't stand for that. So the role went to Katherine Heigl, who at the time was looking to break away from Grey's Anatomy. Technically she did, but she also became known as one of the most difficult actresses to work with in Hollywood. She went on to call Knocked Up "sexist," while everyone in the business basically went on to call her "garbage."

What Could Have Happened: Anne Hathaway actually nails the Knocked Up role and proves to everyone that she can be relatable and likable. When it comes time for her to host the Oscars in 2011, Seth Rogen calls up his BFF and her co-host, James Franco: "Dude, I swear, she's really cool. Don't just stand there silently smiling with a glazed-over look on your face all night tonight. Don't be Franco the Asshole. Be Charming Franco." It becomes the most entertaining Academy Awards in years, and Jennifer Lawrence never materializes, because America already has its sweetheart.

Katherine Heigl, though... Well, nothing different from what we've already seen. She was always destined to wade in the abyss of rom-com dread.

Movie Role: Henry Hill, Goodfellas (1990)

What Happened: For Scorsese's mob movie, the studio wanted a recognizable name. "Tom Cruise was discussed," producer Irwin Winkler told GQ. But in the end, Marty got his way and was able to cast Ray Liotta, a relative unknown actor with a pretty but subtly disturbed face.

What Could Have Happened: The famous "Am I funny to you?" scene reaches hard-to-watch levels because Tom Cruise goes way too big with his laughs. Also, for some unexplainable reason, Henry Hill is running in most scenes. De Niro and Pesci look annoyed the entire movie. Three years after it's released, De Niro is quoted saying, "How the fuck did we cast the Americana kid from Top Gun in a movie about hard-nosed gangsters?"

Cruise, due to his inflated ego and unfathomable confidence, doesn't let the bad reviews of Goodfellas bother him, and gets back on his feet, still landing the lead role in Mission: Impossible. Ray Liotta grabs a hold of Kevin Costner's sports movie bootstraps after Field of Dreams and goes on to co-star as the caddy in Tin Cup, the catcher in For Love of the Game, and the Assistant GM in Draft Day. Liotta is Costner's best man in his 2004 marriage to Christine Baumgartner.

Movie Role: Bella Swan, Twilight (2008)

What Happened: For real, JLaw auditioned for the part but K-Stew got the nod. The Twilight franchise went on to gross over $1.3 billion and spawn an army of vigilantly devoted fans.

What Could Have Happened: Unable to resist Jennifer Lawrence's charm, Robert Pattinson falls in love with her. The two begin dating and spurn a sub-group of Twilight fans called "LawPatts." JLaw remains faithful to Rob throughout filming, even though many directors try to hook up with her. After the last movie is completed, RPatz proposes. JLaw says yes, and the two become Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck for a younger generation. Winter's Bone, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle roles go to Chloe Moretz, Keira Knightley, and Jessica Biel, respectively.

Kristen Stewart meanwhile, finds her franchise role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.

And FKA Twigs never falls in love. :(

Movie Role: Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction (1994)

What Happened: After starring in Quentin Tarantino's previous film, Reservoir Dogs, Michael Madsen was a shoe-in for the similarly modeled character Vincent Vega. He, however, wasn't able to take the part due to a commitment to Wyatt Earp. As a result, Tarantino decided to go for a revival project in John Travolta, who hadn't been a presence in Hollywood in years.

What Could Have Happened: A million thinkpieces are written about how the world of Reservoir Dogs connects to Pulp Fiction. John Travolta never regains relevance and Idina Menzel's name is correctly pronounced by Jon Voight at the 2014 Academy Awards.

Movie Role: Peter Quill, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

What Happened: Guardians director James Gunn admitted that before landing on Chris Pratt, he considered casting It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton. But you know how it went down—Pratt got the role, got super buff, and became the biggest movie star on the planet.

What Could Have Happened: After Glenn Howerton dives into an intense weight-training regimen, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia follows up it's "Mac is Fat" season with a "Dennis is Actually Hot" season, and the character's paranoid vanity is completely lost. The cast's entire chemical balance is leveled by Howerton's fame, and the show takes a big hit. Howerton marries Kate Upton and demands she appear on the It's Always Sunny's final season. “YOU GUYS GET TO HAVE YOUR WIVES ON THE SHOW!” he yells in a high-pitched voice.

As for Chris Pratt, the Jurassic World role never comes since director Colin Trevorrow doesn't want to be the first guy to place his faith in the doughy comedic actor from Parks and Rec. However, the comedy roles flood in and after James Franco and Seth Rogen are black-listed following The Interview, Pratt becomes the new leader of Apatow's crew. Jonah Hill goes on record saying he's a better friend than Seth Rogen.