It's not unusual for no-name actors to have their scenes cut from major motion pictures; it happens for a variety of reasons: sometimes, the scene is deemed unnecessary, whereas other times, the script calls for a last minute rewrite. So, if you've ever wondered if it's just starving actors that get their scenes cut, it turns out the answer is no.
There have been countless instances of some of the most famous actors of our time winding up on the deleted scenes reel of some of the best (and worst) movies of recent years. Below, are 20 instances of famous actors whose scenes were deleted from movies.- In an effort to cut down 2016's Batman v Superman to a (still lengthy) two-and-a-half hours, director Zack Snyder had to cut large parts of his epic superhero film - including Jena Malone's entire role. When news of her casting first broke in 2015, it caused quite a stir as fans tried to figure out if she would be playing an iconic hero like Batgirl or Robin. Theatergoers may never know... unless they get the extended, R-rated director's cut on DVD, which features scrapped scenes and Malone's role. Although Snyder says she is neither Batgirl or Robin.
- Age: 40
- Birthplace: Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA
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Kevin Costner was cast as the dead character, Alex, in The Big Chill, but all of the scenes that he shot are absent from the final version of the feature.- Age: 70
- Birthplace: Lynwood, California, USA
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Uma Thurman taped scenes for the gritty Oliver Stone drama Savages. She was originally set to portray the mother of Blake Lively's character, but her part was eventually eliminated from the film.- Age: 54
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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- Buena Vista Pictures
Andy Garcia was cast as Michelle Pfeiffer's love interest in Dangerous Minds, but the scene was deemed totally unnecessary to the film.- Age: 68
- Birthplace: La Havana, Cuba
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The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress was cast in the 1988 Chevy Chase film Funny Farm, but all of her scenes were cut from the final draft.
- Age: 47
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- 1Cruel Intentions171 Votes
- 2I Know What You Did Last Summer141 Votes
- 3The Grudge112 Votes
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The late, great James Gandolfini was scheduled to appear in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but his scenes were ultimately removed from the picture. The "Sopranos" star was cast to play a love interest to Sandra Bullock's character, but the scenes never saw the light of day.- Age: Dec. at 51 (1961-2013)
- Birthplace: Westwood, New Jersey, USA
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Steven Tyler's progeny shot scenes for the Woody Allen film Everyone Says I Love You, but her scenes did not appear in the final cut. Tyler played the love interest of Lucas Haas, but her scenes were eliminated from the film.- Age: 47
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- 1The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring109 Votes
- 2The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King105 Votes
- 3The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers80 Votes
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Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, but when Robert Zemeckis determined Stoltz was wrong for the part, the director cut his scenes and reshot the film with Michael J. Fox.- Age: 63
- Birthplace: Whittier, California, USA
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Tobey Maguire had his scenes deleted from Life of Pi since the actor was "too famous." The film's director, Ang Lee, felt that Maguire was too well-known for the bit role in which he was cast. Maguire would have played a journalist interviewing Pi as an older man.- Age: 49
- Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, USA
- 1Spider-Man361 Votes
- 2Spider-Man 2341 Votes
- 3Spider-Man: No Way Home229 Votes
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Angela Bassett had her scenes cut from Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but her voice is still audible in the final version. You can hear her in a scene where Mr. Smith is being given instructions on his next mission from his boss (Bassett).- Age: 66
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
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American Beauty's Chris Cooper shot an opening and closing sequence for The Ring, but his scenes were left on the cutting-room floor.- Age: 73
- Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
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Ashley Judd was originally part of the big-name cast associated with Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Judd played one of the many victims of the film's psychotic leads, but her nine-minute sequence was deleted from the final version of the film.- Age: 56
- Birthplace: Granada Hills, California, USA
- 1Double Jeopardy292 Votes
- 2Kiss the Girls197 Votes
- 3A Time to Kill170 Votes
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Black Mass, a 2015 film about the life of Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger, was supposed to star Johnny Depp (as Bulger), with Sienna Miller playing Bulger's girlfriend, Catherine Greig. However, during the editing process, Miller's role was completely cut from the film, in order for director Scott Cooper to narrow the scope of the story.- Age: 43
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- 1Layer Cake44 Votes
- 2G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra24 Votes
- 3Stardust34 Votes
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Mickey Rourke is one of several recognizable actors that had their scenes eliminated from The Thin Red Line. Rourke is reportedly still bitter about it after all these years.- Age: 72
- Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, USA
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Mick Jagger's scenes were completely eliminated from Fitzcarraldo when the film had to halt production and start over from the beginning.- Age: 81
- Birthplace: Dartford, Kent, England, UK
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The Twilight actor had his scenes cut from the film Vanity Fair, in which Pattinson played Reese Witherspoon's son. Years later, he went on to play her love interest in Water for Elephants.- Age: 38
- Birthplace: Barnes, London, England, UK
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- Fine Line Features
The actor's scenes were cut from the 2001 film Storytelling. Van Der Beek shot scenes for an arc where he portrayed a gay football player, but his scenes did not make the feature.- Age: 48
- Birthplace: Cheshire, USA, Connecticut
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Michelle Monaghan was slated to appear in the George Clooney film Syriana, but her scenes were ultimately removed. Monaghan also experienced a similar fate in the Richard Gere film Unfaithful and the supernatural horror film Constantine.- Age: 48
- Birthplace: Winthrop, Iowa, USA
- 1The Bourne Supremacy28 Votes
- 2Source Code35 Votes
- 3Kiss Kiss Bang Bang40 Votes
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The Scream star was cast in a primary role in the Wes Craven film Cursed but had all of his scenes cut as a result of a highly chaotic production process.- Age: 55
- Birthplace: Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
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Ghostface Killah filmed a cameo for Iron Man to pay homage to the rapper's Tony Stark alter ego. However, the cameo apparently slowed down the film and was ultimately cut.- Age: 54
- Birthplace: Staten Island, New York, USA
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La Toya Jackson's scenes were deleted from Bruno out of respect for Michael Jackson's untimely death, which occurred in close proximity to the film's theatrical release.- Age: 68
- Birthplace: Gary, Indiana, USA
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Michael Biehn was supposed to appear in Terminator 2 via a dream sequence that related to his appearance in the first film, but it was cut from the theatrical release. Biehn's segment in the second Terminator film is available as part of the director's cut.- Age: 68
- Birthplace: Anniston, Alabama, USA
