42. Tom Cruise
Project: Titanic
Proposed Salary: $20 million*
Outcome: Leo DiCaprio played the part
Tom Cruise was still in high demand in the 1990s, following a string of critically acclaimed films in the 1980s. Consequently, when director James Cameron began shooting Titanic on a large scale, the company wanted Tom Cruise to portray the role of Captain Jack Dawson.
Everyone knows that Leonardo DiCaprio ended up drowning with the ship. Still, if Cruise hadn’t been so pricey, and if Cameron hadn’t been so taken with Leo, things may have turned out differently for the two of them. It’s tough to see anyone else taking up the role at this point in time.
42. Tom Cruise
43. Hilary Duff
Project: Lizzie McGuire
Proposed Salary: $500,000 bonus*
Outcome: Project was scrapped
As Lizzie McGuire, Hilary Duff earned substantial money for Disney, even after the original television series ended. The first Lizzie Mcguire film earned $55.5 million at the box office, but plans for a sequel were already in the works before the film was ever released in theaters. While it is unclear how much money was given to Duff, we do know that a $500,000 incentive was on the table for him to consider.
If the first film grossed more than $50 million, Duff would receive the additional funds — assuming she agreed to star in another movie with the same director. Hilary’s mother, on the other hand, is said to have demanded the money immediately. When Disney refused to comply, filming was never completed, and the sequel was never released.
43. Hilary Duff
