Juan Leguizamo is confessing some roles that he turned down during his career and that ultimately seemed like big mistakes on his part.
During a new interview with Business InsiderThe Colombian soon revealed that he regretted having rejected a key role in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
‘Oh yeah. The devil wears Prada, the role of Stanley Tucci,’ confessed Leguizamo, 63 years old.
Tucci memorably played Nigel Kipling, the art director of Runway magazine, in the comedy-drama starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt.
The Devil Wears Prada was a box office success, grossing $326.7 million worldwide on a budget of $35 to $41 million.
John Leguizamo is confessing some roles he turned down during his career that ultimately seemed like big mistakes on his part. During a new interview with Business Insider, the Colombian was quick to reveal that he regretted having turned down a key role in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
Leguizamo did not reveal exactly why he decided to turn down the role of Nigel Kipling.
But he did share Two other films that he regretted having passed up.
‘Happy Feet, the Robin Williams part. And Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Vince Vaughn’s role,” he said.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) is an action comedy film starring Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie.
“Well, for Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it was because they were paying them $20 million and they were going to pay me a scale,” he said, referring to Pitt and Jolie.
“I felt slighted, and I probably wasn’t being slighted, but I felt slighted,” he explained, adding, “Sometimes when you’re a person of color, you’re so used to being looked down upon that you think you’re being looked down upon and, Sometimes, they don’t put you down. So that’s what happens and you have to go to a lot of therapy to solve it.”
Leguizamo was offered the role of Eddie, which received third billing under the two superstars and ended up being played by 54-year-old Vince Vaughn.
Once again, this turned out to be another smash hit, with the Doug Liman-directed film grossing $487.3 million at the worldwide box office against a $110 million budget.
As for Happy Feet, the Charming actor was worried about being typecast after appearing in the animated adventure comedy film Ice Age (2002), which ended up being a big enough hit, earning $383.2 million, to establish a franchise.
After Leguizamo’s death, the late Robin Williams ended up playing Ramón, Cletus, Lovelace and the narrator.
‘Oh yeah. The devil wears Prada, the role of Stanley Tucci,’ confessed Leguizamo, 63 years old. Tucci (pictured) memorably played Nigel Kipling, the art director of Runway magazine, in the comedy-drama starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt.
Leguizamo also regretted leaving Happy Feet, on the grounds that he did not want to be typecast after his success with Ice Age. The late Robin Williams landed the role
“I said, ‘I don’t want to make all those movies on ice.’ What a stupid reason. But at the time it seemed logical to me and then I lost millions,” he confessed.
Following the original, Leguizamo would play Sid, a ground sloth, in the sequels Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), and Ice Age: Collision Course . (2016), all of which were box office hits.
During the conversation with the publication, the Broadway star also revealed that he had turned down the crime drama film Carlito’s Way, starring Al Pacino, several times before agreeing to sign on.
“I’ve studied with some of the best acting teachers and the only thing I can play are drug dealers,” he said of his doubts about taking on the role of Benny Blanco from the Bronx. “So it was a mixed blessing.”
But then they came to him one last time to share the actor they were also considering for the character.
The Carlito’s Way star said he passed over Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which went to Vince Vaughn, when he was making a stopover compared to the lead roles of Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie, who he claimed were raking in $20. millions of dollars.
With Ice Age, the Colombian ended up achieving a great franchise that included four successful sequels. Leguizamo has played the lazy Sid in the Ice Age films and their four sequels.
“They told me they were going to give it to Benicio (del Toro) and I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it,'” he confessed about his change of mind.
In retrospect, Carlito’s Way and Super Mario Bros (both 1993) are considered to have been Leguizamo’s breakout roles.
His long Hollywood resume also includes performances in films such as Die Hard 2 (1990), Regarding Henry (1991), Executive Decision (1996), Summer of Sam (1999), Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), Chef (2014), John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and The Survivor (2021).
He also has several television acting credits, including The Brothers García (200-2004), ER (2005-2006), Bloodline (2016-2017), and Latin History For Morons (2018).