- Bob Peck, Jurassic Park, 1992.
- Tom Wilkinson, John Adams, TV, 2007. HBO and director Tom Hooper’s first choice for Benjamin Franklin. Rush made sure he was available to be King George VI’s speech therapist in Hooper’s next gig, The King’s Speech, 2010, earning Rush an Oscar nomination.
- Mark Strong, Green Lantern, 2010. No matter how often the directors changed (from Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Zack Snyder and Greg Berlanti (the film’s producer and co-scenarist) to, ultimately, 007’s Martin Campbell), Rush had to pass on the villainous Sinestro (originally based on David Niven) – far too busy in The King’s Speech. He did find time, however, to voice the bird-like alien Lantern, Tomar-Re. Also losing Sinestro: Jackie Earl Haley and Australia’s busiest fantasy star, Hugo Weaving… star of the Matrix and Lord of the Rings trilogies, plus Transformers, The Wolfman, Captain America: The First Avenger and (gulp!) The Hobbit.
- Sacha Baron Cohen, Les Miserables, 2011. Inspector Javert from the previous (non-musical) Les Miz in 1997, and a pivot of the same director Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, 2009, was seen for the despicable Thénardier. Also in the Miz mix: comics Rowan Atkinson, Billy Crystal, Ricky Gervais, Steve Martin, Robin Williams… Go figure.
- James Corden, Into The Woods, 2013.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5