#20: Being Picky About Which Roles to Take

Beatty was known for being highly selective with his roles, sometimes to the point of turning down legendary parts. He famously rejected the lead in Superman (1978), which went to Christopher Reeve.

He also declined Burt Reynolds’ role in Boogie Nights (1997) and the part of Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill (2003), later played by David Carradine. While some of these choices may have seemed surprising, Beatty was always more focused on projects he could control creatively.