1. Andre The Giant. The Princess Bride, 1986. Back in the 70s, author William Goldman wanted the 7′ 4¼″ French wrestler André René Roussimoff as Fezzik. But he just wouldn’t read the script and so the equally unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger was nominated. The sword ‘n’ sorcery satire stalled for a dozen years by which time Arnie was a (too) expensive superstar. Director Rob Reiner auditioned baseball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Richard Kiel (who beat André to 007’s Jaws) – and sent Liam Neeson away for being “only six foot four”!
Finally Goldman got his way with Roussimoff – billed as Andre The Giant