- Hugh Jackman, Grand Theft Parsons, 2003. Two men, a hearse, a dead rock star, five gallons of petrol and a pact… X2 and Van Helsing got in the way of Jackman playing roadie Phil Kaufman, fulfilling his promise to rock star Gram Parsons – to steal his corpse for a desert cremation near Joshua Tree, California.
- Rob Schneider, Around The World In 80 Days, 2004. Set for the San Francisco Hobo until a conflict schedules due to his MTV’s Jackass garbage.
- Robert Downey Jr, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 2004. Could never have been funnier than Downey’s actor wannabe Harry Lockhart taking private dick lessons from Val Kilmer’s openly gay ’tec – he’s even called Gay Perry. Also up for Harry in auteur Shane Black’s comedy-noir spin on his cop buddy epics, Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout, were Benicio Del Toro (opposite Hugh Grant) and, if the meagre $10m budget was beefed up, Harrison Ford.
- Luke Wilson, The Family Stone, 2005. First, the The Royal Tenenbaums family for Wilson, now the screwball Stones.
- Christoph Waltz, Epic, 2012. What can you give an actor who grabbed two Oscars in three years? A toon villain called Mandrake, of course. OK, it’s for Blue Sky Studios, not Disney, but a sheer delight. With great vocals from Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried… and Beyoncé Knowles proving she is more than just another sassy singer.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5