It seems like a foolish career move to turn down a movie with Tom Cruise. Perhaps you have other creative aspirations you want to tackle and that intersection impedes those desires. That's completely valid. However, it's hard to understand any other form of reasoning.
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If you're really lucky, he might take you under his wing like Glen Powell. In the worst case, you're almost guaranteed a box office smash and a great look on your film resume. Still, Billy Bob Thornton didn't want in on such an opportunity. How come?
Recently, The Bad Santa actor spoke on The Playlist's Bingeworthy podcast to promote his new series with Taylor Sheridan, Landman. There, he goes over some of his career choices and some of the flicks he's turned down over the years.
Particularly, Billy Bob reveals that he turned down the role of Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) in Spider-Man and the villain in Mission: Impossible 3. For the former, his reasoning is somewhat understandable. "I don't have much interest in those kinds of roles. With the Green Goblin, I didn't feel like getting up at 4 a.m. for five or six hours of makeup," Thornton admits.
Billy Bob Thornton Declines The Opportunity to Star Opposite Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 3
Billy Bob's argument against starring in Mission: Impossible 3 is a little more abstract in comparison. "And with Mission: Impossible III, I didn't want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise. If you're the bad guy in a big movie like that, audiences remember it forever. I prefer to keep things looser and less predictable," Thornton argues.
This isn't horrible logic per se but this does handicap Billy Bob Thornton a little bit. Additionally, this never became an issue for an actor like Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In fairness, that's a stark difference in talent. Nevertheless, it feels kind of crazy not to take such a huge career move. Regardless, it seemed to work out, the journey was just a little bit different.
