Ridley Scott's highly anticipated Gladiator II.

Washington won the Academy Award for Best ing Actor for his role in Glory and an Oscar for Best Actor for his part in Training Day. He was also nominated for the prestigious honor for his work in Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Flight, Fences, Roman J. Israel, Esq., and The Tragedy of Macbeth. Some of The Equalizer trilogy. Despite the actor's impressive career, he has lost out on a handful of roles in iconic films.

12 Furious 7 (2015)

Washington had the opportunity to appear in Furious 7, the most profitable installment of the massive Fast & Furious franchise and one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Washington turned down the role of playing Mr. Nobody, which went to another legendary actor, Kurt Russell. Mr. Nobody went on to appear in The Fate of The Furious and F9, making him a recurring part of the monolithic action franchise and a critical member of Furious 7. Washington has starred in plenty of franchise action films but opted out of the chance to be a part of one of the most profitable of all time.

11 Leave The World Behind (2023)

Washington was initially slated to portray G.H. Scott in Netflix's apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. The role eventually went to Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali after Washington stepped away from the project. Had Washington stayed on for the ambitious Netflix project, it would have marked a 30-year onscreen reunion with Julia Roberts, who last appeared in a movie with Washington in 1993's The Pelican Brief.

10 A Perfect World (1993)

The 1993 crime drama film A Perfect World starred Kevin Costner as Robert "Butch" Haynes, a convict who escaped from prison and took a young boy hostage while he was on the run from law enforcement. The movie, which was directed by Clint Eastwood, did not garner a lot of success at the box office, but many critics praised Costner's performance. However, Costner was not Eastwood's first pick to play Butch. Initially, the director wanted Denzel Washington to play the role, but the actor turned the part down.

9 Michael Clayton (2007)

George Clooney starred as the titular character in Michael Clayton, which told the story of Michael Clayton, a lawyer and a known "fixer" who uncovers corruption related to one of the clients of his law firm in New York City. The movie was a massive hit and garnered a lot of attention during awards season in 2007. Michael Clayton was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for Best ing Actress for her role as Karen Crowder. Clooney was also nominated and didn't win, but the role of Michael Clayton was almost played by Denzel Washington.

Washington received the script for Michael Clayton and was impressed, but he ultimately turned down the part because it was Tony Gilroy's directorial debut. He was nervous about taking that leap. But Washington later itted that he made a mistake in ing on Michael Clayton because of how successful it was.

8 Amistad (1997)

Steven Spielberg's 1997 historical drama Amistad told the true story of what happened on La Amistad, a Spanish slave ship, in 1839. The slaves took control of the vessel, and a battle ensued. Djimon Hounsou played Joseph Cinqué, one of the slaves aboard the ship, and his performance thrust him into the spotlight in Hollywood. However, the role almost went to Denzel Washington, who turned it down because he did not want to play a slave.

7 Hotel Rwanda (2004)

It should come as no surprise that Denzel Washington is a hot commodity in Hollywood and has been offered plenty of prestigious roles over the years. But in the case of Hotel Rwanda, director Terry George always wanted Don Cheadle to play Paul Rusesabagina in the 2004 movie based on the Rwandan genocide. The studios pushed back against casting Cheadle, and the executives wanted someone like Washington for the role. George ultimately got his way, though, and Cheadle would go on to get an Oscar nomination for his work in Hotel Rwanda.

6 48 Hrs. (1982)

Before Eddie Murphy was cast to play Reggie Hammond in the 1982 buddy cop film 48 Hrs., the casting producers considered Denzel Washington for the part. They eventually settled on Murphy, so it sounds like they decided not to go with Washington instead of Washington turning down the role. The movie revolved around a cop (played by Nick Nolte) and a convict (played by Murphy) who surprisingly ed forces to catch two criminals, and they only had 48 hours to do so.

5 Dreamgirls (2006)

Bill Condon adapted the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls into a feature film in 2006, and the movie told the story of a girl group from Detroit called "The Dreams" and their journey to stardom. Jamie Foxx played Curtis Taylor Jr., a record executive who discovered the girl group and took advantage of them. Although Foxx was chosen for the part, the producers of the musical drama film almost went with Denzel Washington. The actor turned the role down, though, because he can't sing, and Foxx can.

4 I, Robot (2004)

Will Smith played the lead character, Detective Del Spooner, in the 2004 science fiction action film I, Robot. However, before Smith accepted the part, producers first turned to Denzel Washington to see if he would be interested in starring in the movie, which was set in a future where robots are slowly but surely taking over the world. The actor turned it down, and the rest is history.

3 Blade (1998)

Wesley Snipes completely embodied the role of Eric Brooks/Blade in the 1998 superhero movie Blade. Before principal photography took place, the head of the studio producing the film suggested that Denzel Washington be offered the part instead. Director David S. Goyer's gut told him to go with Snipes, though, and he got his way at the end of the day.