Everyone loves a good romance, whether it’s a witty rom‑com, a tear‑jerking melodrama, or an epic set against a sweeping historical backdrop. OK, maybe not everyone, but certainly many romantic pictures rank among the most memorable and critically praised motion pictures ever made and are among the most popular titles in cinema history.
Even today, when you adjust for inflation, 1939’s romantic epic Gone With the Wind still holds the crown as the highest‑grossing film of all time. It makes you wonder: what if the studios had chosen different stars for these legendary love stories? Would the films have still resonated, or would they have stumbled? Below are ten of the most beloved romantic films and the duos who were originally considered for the lead roles.
Why Ten Acting Pairs Matter
10 Pretty Woman: Burt Reynolds and Meg Ryan
Burt Reynolds dominated the silver screen in the 1970s, headlining some of the decade’s biggest box‑office hits. After his breakout in John Boorman’s acclaimed thriller Deliverance (1972), Reynolds surged to fame with films like The Longest Yard (1974) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). At the same time, Meg Ryan emerged as one of the 1990s’ most beloved leading ladies, starring in hits such as You’ve Got Mail (1998) and Kate & Leopold (2001).
How could a pairing of those two not have been a box‑office juggernaut? Sadly, we’ll never know. Before judging either performer too harshly for passing on the roles of Edward Lewis and Vivian Ward (which later became iconic parts for Richard Gere and Julia Roberts), remember that Reynolds turned down Pretty Woman in 1990 to take the lead in the CBS sitcom Evening Shade, a part that earned him his sole Emmy Award.
Meanwhile, fresh off the success of 1989’s When Harry Met Sally and three years away from starring in Sleepless in Seattle, turning down the role that catapulted Roberts to stardom didn’t stall Ryan’s career. Call it a win‑win for everyone! Garry Marshall had originally imagined Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in the leads, another pairing that feels oddly mismatched in hindsight.
9 An Affair to Remember: Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl
Few actors in the 1950s exuded the suave charisma of Cary Grant. Ironically, a couple of decades earlier Grant was better known for comedic roles in films such as Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Arsenic and Old Lace (1943) than for the debonair leading‑man parts he later embraced. When veteran director Leo McCarey decided to remake his 1939 romance classic Love Affair, he pictured the project as a showcase for husband‑and‑wife team Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl.
Given the success of another married acting duo in 1957—Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy fame—pairing the Argentine Lamas with the red‑haired Dahl seemed a logical variation of the Cuban‑American partnership.
Yet destiny had other plans: An Affair to Remember (1957) ultimately cast Grant opposite the six‑time Academy Award nominee Deborah Kerr. The decision paid off; the American Film Institute ranked the movie the fifth most romantic film of all time in 2002. For Lamas and Dahl, however, it was a bitter pill: they lost the iconic parts and went on to divorce just three years later.
8 The Bishop’s Wife: Dana Andrews and Teresa Wright
A Christmas‑time favorite that has grown into a perennial fan‑favorite in recent decades is another film that featured the ever‑popular Cary Grant. Yet Grant was not the original choice to play the angel Dudley in Henry Koster’s beloved romantic comedy The Bishop’s Wife (1947). Producer Samuel Goldwyn hoped to capitalize on the popular pairing of Dana Andrews and Teresa Wright, who had both delivered memorable performances a year earlier in the acclaimed post‑World‑War II drama The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). The plan was to cast them as the bishop and his wife, with David Niven as the angel.
When Wright declined the role after learning she was pregnant, Goldwyn was forced to loan Andrews to RKO, which in return released Loretta Young to play the title role. Grant then entered the production, only for director Koster to make another casting switch. Instead of replacing Andrews as the bishop, Grant was cast as the angel, while Niven reluctantly took the bishop part. Though the film initially underperformed at the box office, it has slowly grown in popularity and was remade in 1996 as The Preacher’s Wife, starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.
These behind‑the‑scenes shifts illustrate how close we came to seeing a very different on‑screen dynamic in this holiday classic.
7 Rocky: James Caan and Carrie Snodgress
With multiple sequels and antagonists who could easily belong in a Marvel universe as well as a sports saga, many forget three basic facts about the movie that launched it all: Rocky. First, the 1976 film won the Oscar for Best Picture. Second, Sylvester Stallone was virtually an unknown at the time, and his script almost cost him the starring role. Third, there’s surprisingly little actual boxing in the picture. As actor Carl Weathers, who played champion Apollo Creed, put it, “It’s a love story.”
United Artists executives adored Stallone’s script but wanted a bankable star for the lead. Fresh off testosterone‑driven hits like Rollerball (1975) and the “guy‑cry” TV classic Brian’s Song (1971), James Caan—who had previously portrayed the Godfather’s eldest son—seemed a perfect fit for the “Italian Stallion.” For Rocky’s love interest Adrian, Carrie Snodgress, who inspired Neil Young’s 1972 song “A Man Needs a Maid,” was the frontrunner.
Stallone later revealed that Adrian was originally meant to be Irish, and he even wanted Harvey Keitel to play her brother. Imagine a version directed by Martin Scorsese—who knows how that would have turned out?
6 Grease: Henry Winkler and Marie Osmond
Few movies of the 1970s could boast the popularity of the musical romantic comedy Grease. Adapted from a Broadway hit, Grease (1978) became the highest‑grossing film musical of its era, a record that held for three decades. The film catapulted John Travolta and Olivia Newton‑John to iconic status as Danny and Sandy. Travolta became a massive box‑office draw, while Newton‑John cultivated a fresh image as a singer.
Yet neither star was the first choice. At the height of his fame as “Fonzie” on the TV hit Happy Days, Henry Winkler was initially offered the role of Danny. For Sandy, popular teen idol Marie Osmond was considered. Winkler, hoping to avoid being typecast as a greaser, declined, and Osmond, fearing the rebel transformation would hurt her wholesome image, also passed. Her brother Donny turned down the chance to play the “Teen Angel” as well. In a career‑changing misstep, both Donny and Marie opted to star in the critical and commercial flop Goin’ Coconuts instead.
Their decisions paved the way for Travolta and Newton‑John to become the unforgettable pair we know today.
5 Ghost: Bruce Willis and Michele Pfeiffer
Who can forget the iconic pottery‑wheel scene where Patrick Swayze’s Sam tenderly kisses Demi Moore’s Molly to the soulful strains of The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” in the fantasy thriller Ghost (1990)? Now picture the same moment starring Bruce Willis—then‑husband of Moore—and Michele Pfeiffer, who a year earlier delivered a celebrated performance singing “Makin’ Whoopee” atop a piano in The Fabulous Baker Boys. The concept held tantalizing potential.
However, Moore’s uncanny ability to cry on cue—whether from one eye or the other—won her the role over Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, and Nicole Kidman, among others considered for Molly. Willis later admitted he didn’t grasp the script when he read it and called himself a “knucklehead” for rejecting what became the highest‑grossing film of 1990. He thought a romance between a ghost and a living person wouldn’t work. Willis learned his lesson, later starring in the acclaimed The Sixth Sense (1999), a film that famously featured a child who could see “dead people.”
The missed pairing remains an intriguing “what‑if” scenario for fans of the film.
4 Doctor Zhivago: Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren
If any romantic epic rivals the historical sweep of Gone With the Wind, it’s David Lean’s adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s novel Doctor Zhivago. With an all‑star cast including Sir Alec Guinness and Oscar‑winning Rod Steiger, the film today ranks as the eighth highest‑grossing movie of all time when adjusted for ticket‑price inflation.
While Omar Sharif dazzled as the titular poet and Julie Christie captivated as his muse Lara, neither of those stars were Lean’s first choices. Peter O’Toole—who had starred in Lean’s previous masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia—was originally slated for Zhivago. Producer Carlo Ponti believed his wife, international sex symbol Sophia Loren, was perfect for Lara. Yet O’Toole showed no interest in another grueling epic, and many doubted Loren could convincingly portray a young, virginal schoolgirl in the film’s early scenes.
John Ford reportedly recommended Christie after directing her in Young Cassidy, while Michael Caine suggested Sharif after reading for the role himself. The final casting proved timeless, cementing the movie’s status among the greatest epic romances ever made.
3 Titanic: Matthew McConaughey and Gwyneth Paltrow
I’ve often wondered why few notice that Kate Winslet as young Rose in Titanic (1997) bears little resemblance to Gloria Stuart, who portrayed the elderly version of the same character. Perhaps it’s because other actresses were seriously considered for Rose long before the British star secured the role.
Director James Cameron eyed Gwyneth Paltrow—just a year away from winning the Academy Award for Best Actress—as a leading contender for the heroine. With her slender blonde looks and aristocratic bearing, Paltrow would have matched the older actress who played Rose in her twilight years.
For Jack, Matthew McConaughey was strongly considered. Ultimately, Cameron deemed him too old and chose Leonardo DiCaprio, who could pass for a teenager in 1997. After a vigorous campaign to win the part, Winslet’s screen test convinced Cameron she was made for Rose. Eleven Oscars later and over two billion dollars in profit, it’s hard to argue with Cameron’s casting choices. Imagine Jack delivering the line “It’s all right, all right, all right” as Rose promises never to let go—still a cinematic marvel.
2 Gone With the Wind: Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard
Never known for subtlety, Cecil B. DeMille’s epic films were as brash and bombastic as the man himself. After the release of his adventure Unconquered (1947), Time magazine called the movie a “Technicolor celebration of Gary Cooper’s virility, Paulette Goddard’s femininity, and the American frontier spirit.” Critic Emanuel Levy later echoed that the actors’ sex appeal made the film popular.
Perhaps this on‑screen chemistry almost led David O. Selznick, eight years earlier, to cast both as leads in his monumental adaptation Gone With the Wind. Goddard would be the only actress besides Vivien Leigh to complete a Technicolor screen test for Scarlett O’Hara after emerging as a finalist for the coveted role. While Clark Gable was Selznick’s first choice for Rhett Butler, Cooper was also seriously considered—until producer Sam Goldwyn, to whom Cooper was contracted, refused to loan him out.
Given the massive box‑office triumph and lasting popularity of Gone With the Wind, it’s hard to argue with the Leigh/Gable pairing. Yet for a glimpse of what might have been, you can revisit Unconquered on a free evening.
1 Casablanca: George Raft and Michele Morgan
It’s the greatest movie of all time—well, after Citizen Kane—if you agree with the American Film Institute’s 1998 “Top 100” list. Whether you do or not, few can question the enduring popularity of Casablanca (1942), a film that perhaps has more memorable lines than any other. The ill‑fated love story of Rick and Ilsa and the chemistry of its two charismatic leads, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, left an indelible mark on audiences that still resonates today.
However, Bogart and Bergman were not the original choices. Warner Brothers head Jack Warner envisioned George Raft in the lead—a performer infamous for some of the worst career decisions in film history. Raft famously turned down lead roles in The Maltese Falcon and High Sierra, parts that propelled Bogart to stardom. Meanwhile, Bergman nearly lost the role of Ilsa to French actress Michele Morgan. When Morgan demanded $55,000 for a seven‑week shoot, studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck balked and secured Bergman for a modest $25,000—an investment that paid off handsomely.
These casting near‑misses remind us how close we came to a very different version of a timeless classic.