Actors get tired of playing the same role, and it's understandable. No one can blame them for wanting to diversify and explore other opportunities; however, hearing them say they'll never return to the roles that made them famous can be disappointing. Still, some actors have no problem walking back their statements when the time is right.
During a Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- if there were "a great story and a great director." Like him, many other actors have claimed they would never go back to the role that made them famous, only to take back their statements later.
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac didn't love the Star Wars sequels. After the release of the much-derided Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Isaac claimed that he'd only return to the franchise "if I need another house or something." Isaac alsoexpressed disappointment with the trilogy's treatment of his character, Poe, and the lack of a romantic relationship between him and John Boyega's Finn.
Recently, Isaac changed his tune about the prospect of returning to the Star Wars universe. During an interview with XM, Isaac said he'd be open to reprising the role. Perhaps it's his newfound relationship with Disney -- he is Moon Knight, after all -- or maybe enough time ed for him to actually miss the galaxy far, far away. Whatever the reason, Poe Dameron may yet again rise.
Daniel Craig
James Bond is an iconic character in cinema, but the actors playing him don't always have the best time. As far back as 2012, Daniel Craig expressed hesitance about reprising the role. In a 2015 interview with Time Out, Craig infamously claimed he'd rather "break (a) glass and slash my wrists" than play 007 one more time.
At the time of the interview, Craig was coming off an eight-month shoot for Spectre, so his comments make some sense. The actor eventually reprised his role in 2021, withNo Time to Die gave his melancholic version of Bond an equally bittersweet goodbye, allowing the series to undergo another soft reboot in the next couple of years.
Ben Affleck
The story behind the infamous 2017 cut of Justice League is already well-known. Ben Affleck's subsequent resignation from the role of Batman only complicated things further, with the Oscar winner declaring he "wasn't happy" and "didn't like being there."
Things seem to be changing because Affleck will reprise his role withAquaman and the Lost Kingdom. No word on whether he'll ever return to the role full-time, though.
Michael Keaton
Speaking of Batman actors who return to the role, Michael Keaton is set to play Bruce Wayne again in 2023's The Flash. Keaton's long-awaited return comes thirty years after his last appearance as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, one of the best movies of 1992.
Keaton declined to appear in Batman Forever, claiming that the project was "not for (him)" and that he wanted to pursue "more interesting roles." During promotion for his 2014 Oscar-nominated turn in Birdman, Keaton told CBS News he turned down Batman III and a reported $15 million paycheck because it "sucked."
Natalie Portman
Academy Award winner Natalie Portman didn't like Thor: The Dark World. The actress reportedly got "furious" at Marvel for dismissing the film's original director, Patty Jenkins, especially because Portman had a hand in choosing Jenkins for the project. Portman was contractually obligated to appear in the film, but any future projects with Jane Foster seemed unlikely. In 2016, Portman even declared to The Wall Street Journal, "as far as I know, I'm done."
Six years ed before Portman returned to the MCU, thanks to Taika Waititi's reinvention of the character. The director convinced Portman by presenting her with the chance to play an invigorated version of Jane. Portman claimed this new possibility was "very exciting," expressing her emotion at the chance of wielding Mjolnir.
Andrew Garfield
The Amazing Spider-Man films were never very popular during their original release. During a Variety Actors on Actors interview with Amy Adams, Garfield spoke bittersweetly about the experience, saying he felt "pressured" and "heartbroken" about his time as Spider-Man, and speaking about it as a done deal.
Things changed, and Garfield, a massive fan of the character, agreed to return for the crossover event many ideas for a potential Amazing Spider-Man 3, and Garfield has expressed interest in returning to the role.
Tom Cruise
Top Gun: Maverick is the biggest movie of 2022, so far, at least. The film sees the return of Tom Cruise to the role that made him a star, acting as a mentor for a new generation of pilots at the Top Gun program. The film went several years unreleased, mainly thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were decades before Cruise even agreed to make it in the first place.
In there might even be a Top Gun 3.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford became a bonafide A-lister with the original Star Wars trilogy, but he was never a big fan of it. In a 2010 interview with Peter Travers, Ford declared that Han "as a character, he was not so interesting" to him. Ford went as far as to say he thought Solo should've died in "the last one," but that George Lucas didn't think "there was any future in Dead Han toys."
Still, Ford returned for 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens and finally got his wish. Han died at the hands of his son, Kylo Ren, giving Ford the death he previously wanted. Ford returned one last time for a small cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, it's safe to say that Ford's days as Han Solo are over for good.
