Matt Damon: Avatar (2009)

Matt Damon admitted he turned down Jake Sully in Avatar — and with it, 10 per cent of the box office gross.

He told GQ: “Jim Cameron offered me Avatar. And when he offered it to me, he goes, ‘Now, listen. I don’t need anybody. I don’t need a name for this, a guy flying around on a spaceship. If you don’t take this, I’m going to find an unknown actor and give it to him, because the movie doesn’t really need you.’”

Damon later joked that saying no cost him more than $250 million in earnings. Avatar went on to conquer the box office banking close to $3 billion worldwide.