Known for his exceptional acting chops, Joseph Gordon-Levitt literally chooses freedom when it comes to his roles. No doubt, he has given some incredible performances in movies like Inception, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Dark Knight Rises, Looper, Knives Out, and many more.
Besides these movies, if he hadn’t declined the role in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, his name would have been there, too. Because in 2013, Marvel Studios was thinking about Gordon-Levitt for their next big franchise.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Chose Sin City Over Guardians of The Galaxy
Rather than taking the role of Star-Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Joseph Gordon Levitt chose to play a significant role in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. It was the long-awaited sequel to the 2005 Frank Miller adaptation, which is based on the writer’s Sin City sequel series from 1993-94.
The actor took on the role of Johnny — a professional gambler. Earlier, this character was originally offered to the Pirates of the Caribbean star, Johnny Depp. In 2013 (via UPROXX), the Weinstein Company released a statement from Gordon-Levitt, who said:
“I love how the first movie uses VFX, not to make fake things look real, but to create a heightened world unburdened by the look and feel of reality. Plus, nobody makes a badass like Mr. Rodriguez.”
No doubt, the Looper star had certain expectations with Sin City’s sequel because its first movie was a roaring success. But this one proved to be a critical and commercial failure which was also a huge disappointment for the talented actor.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Regrets Rejecting Star-Lord Role in GOTG
After the success of The Dark Knight Rises, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was considered to play Star-Lord in the GOTG movies. The actor had already proved his comic book mastery by playing the character of John Blake in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.
That’s why he was offered the part of Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy. But as we know, he said no to Star-Lord and chose a different comic book project: The Sin City sequel.
It’s safe to say that declining the role of Star-Lord was a regrettable decision for Gordon-Levitt. Even the actor himself admitted he made a big mistake by turning down the role in GOTG. Anyway, it looks all worth it in the end as it’s tough to imagine anyone other than Chris Pratt as Star-Lord.
You can watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For on Netflix.
