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Celebrities who turned down multimillion-dollar paydays

Thanks but no thanks
Jim Carrey turned down $20.9 million (£15.9m) for The Mask 2
Ja Rule turned down at least $25 million (£19m) to star in the Fast and Furious franchise
Keanu Reeves turned down $25.8 million (£19.6m) for Speed 2
Jodie Foster turned down $26.9 million (£20.5m) to star in Hannibal
Michael Keaton turned down $31.3 million (£23.8m) to reprise his Batman role
Brad Pitt turned down $32 million (£24.3m) for a Mr. & Mrs. Smith sequel
George Clooney turned down $35 million (£26.6m) to film an airline ad
Leonardo DiCaprio turned down $39.1 million (£29.7m) for American Psycho
Vin Diesel turned down $43.2 million (£32.9m) to star in 2 Fast 2 Furious
Steven Seagal reportedly turned down $47 million (£35.7m) to fight Jean-Claude Van Damme
Julianna Margulies turned down $49 million (£37.3m) to reprise her ER role
Will Ferrell turned down $50 million (£38m) to star in Elf 2
James Corden turned down $50 million (£38m) to host The Late Late Show
Will Smith turned down $66.9 million (£50.9m) for The Matrix
Donald Sutherland turned down $67.5 million (£51.3m) by opting for an upfront salary on Animal House
Shaquille O'Neal turned down $67.8 million (£51.6m) to endorse Reebok
Christian Bale turned down $69.3 million (£52.7m) to reprise his Batman role
Dave Chapelle turned down $79.2 million (£60.2m) for Chapelle's Show
Emily Blunt turned down around $80 million (£60.8m) to play Black Widow
John Travolta turned down $85.9 million (£65.3m) to play Forrest Gump
Sylvester Stallone turned down $92.3 million (£70.2m) for Rambo IV
Vince Gilligan turned down $102 million (£77.6m) to continue Breaking Bad
Jerry Seinfeld turned down $194 million (£148m) to continue Seinfeld
Hulk Hogan turned down $200 million (£152m) to endorse a grill
The Beatles turned down $301 million (£229m) to reunite
Matt Damon turned down $372 million (£283m) to star in Avatar
Juan Soto turned down a $440 million (£335m) MLB contract
Sean Connery turned down $778 million (£592m) to play Gandalf
Tiger Woods turned down up to $800 million (£608m) to join LIV Golf
Robert Plant turned down a share of $1.1 billion (£836m) for a Led Zeppelin reunion
ABBA turned down $1.9 billion (£1.4bn)
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Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/WireImage/Maximum Film/Alamy Stock Photo

Thanks but no thanks

While some stars are constantly on the prowl for their next money-making opportunity, others are a bit more selective – no matter how much cash is involved.

From multi-million-dollar endorsement deals to mega money for reprising movie roles, read on to discover the lucrative opportunities these superstars walked away from and why.

All dollar amounts in US dollars with pre-2022 figures adjusted for inflation.

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Danielle McAdam

12 May 2025

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