Over the years, a plethora of actors have tried their luck in acting. However, only a handful of them have got close to the legacy of Colin Farrell. The list of Hollywood’s greatest actors is incomplete without Farrell. While the actor has had a very long career, 2003 was the year that helped establish him in Hollywood. The actor gave the audience some very memorable films in the year. 2003 saw the actor’s best role to date in Phone Booth. However, Will Smith was supposed to star in the film in place of Farrell.

Will Smith is inarguably one of the best actors of our generation. Throughout his career, the Men In Black actor has always kept us entertained with his films. Even though the actor gave us some very memorable performances, he also rejected a plethora of iconic roles. And one such is playing the lead role of Stu Shephard in the 2003 hit film Phone Booth.

As surprising as it sounds, the actor turned down one of the most iconic films of its time back then. Smith apparently did not seem on-board with the villain arc in the movie. As reported by MTV, Smith revealed, “I loved ‘Phone Booth,’ [but I passed because] I always felt like the bad guy’s story wasn’t clear enough.”

It could have also been the first time we would witness Smith showcase his versatility in a psychological thriller film. However, the role later went on to Colin Farrell, who portrayed it flawlessly. Suffice to say, even after Smith passed, the role went on to safe hands. Phone Booth went on to become a massive success both commercially and critically. 

Interestingly, Smith was not the only actor who turned down the role of Stu Shephard. It might surprise you to know but Tom Cruise, Robin Williams and even Nicolas Cage were in consideration for the role. 

Phone Booth could have reached our screens much earlier

Phone Booth recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The psychological thriller left the fans in the awe ever since it made its way to our screens. However, what if we tell you it could have been the film’s 60th anniversary? As surprising as it sounds, the film could have made its way to our screens long before.

As reported by Yahoo, Screenwriter Larry Cohen first approached Lake Alfred Hitchcock with the script back in the 60s. However, the script did not make sense to Hitchcock back then, since he was unable to reason why the man trapped in the booth could not leave. Sadly, by the time Cohen found his answer, it was too late.

How do you think the film would have looked like with Hitchcock? Comment down below.