Robert Downey Jr. Turned Down Starring Role in 'Say Anything'

After playing Tony Stark for more than ten years now, Robert Downey Jr. has made himself a household name again, in a positive way, that is. After the actor's rough patch in the mid-1990s, he's proved that he can be a reliable, A-List actor. But that wasn't always the case for Downey Jr., who, prior to falling into a series of drug-related arrests, could have been in some of the best movies in the 1980s.

Among movies like Pretty in Pink, Downey Jr. could have also been cast as Lloyd Dobler in Cameron Crowe's 1989 film Say Anything. Instead of John Cusack holding up that boombox playing Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," it was almost our very own Tony Stark.

Even though Crowe wanted Cusack specifically for the role of the lovesick teenager, the actor was 23 at the time and Crowe feared he wouldn't want to play another teenager.

So, the filmmaker auditioned other actors and eventually asked Downey Jr. to play the part. He ultimately turned the role down, however, which caused Crowe go with his gut and approach Cusack. When Crowe did, Cusack signed on, and the rest is history.

But at least Downey Jr. was offered the part, instead of being rejected by studios as he would be in later years.

[h/t: Mental Floss]