History Main / DeletedRole

* The ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel episode "I Am My Lifetime" features cameos from various Creator/HannaBarbera characters in different retirement communities. One of the residents, [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Betty Rubble]], was originally going to have a voiced role, with Creator/BJWard reprising her role. Her dialogue was cut from the final episode so although Betty appears, she doesn't speak.

** Declan Mulholland was cast in ''Film/ANewHope'' as Jabba the Hutt, who was conceived to be a portly crime boss who wore a shaggy fur coat and was very receptive to Han Solo's offer to settle his debts. His role was deleted from the final product, due to Creator/GeorgeLucas apparently unable to get the vision of the character (which he wanted to be played by an animated creature) where he wanted. The footage was later reworked to replace Mulholland with a CGI Jabba for the ''Special Edition'' releases.

* ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'' originally ended with Harold meeting Maria's brother, played by Luis Guzman, who Harold initially mistakes for her boyfriend, and learns from him that Maria has gone to Amsterdam. As humorous as it was, WordOfGod decided it'd be better having Harold actually see Maria one last time before she goes to Amsterdam.

For actors this can be extremely disheartening - while they will generally still get paid, no one likes to see their hard work considered redundant to the finished product and cut out, and it can have negative effects on their career due to their industry visibility being reduced. Occasionally the consequences can be tragic.

* Crispin Bonham Carter, who had played Mr Bingley in ''Series/PrideAndPrejudice1995'' filmed a couple of scenes for ''Film/BridgetJonesDiary'' as a character called Greg - but they were cut from the film. He can be glimpsed when Bridget quits her job and at the launch party.

** Estella Warren planned to make a big comeback with a supporting role, but her part - she and Adam Brody play a husband and wife who get wrapped up in the film's plot - was deleted from the final print (although Brody remains in the movie).

* The ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' series had a variant of this - Creator/ChristopherLambert ''did'' appear in the pilot, but when footage shot for the pilot was used in a flashback in a later ep, Lambert was edited out because they couldn't afford to pay for a second appearance.

** After previously having returned to the role of ComicBook/{{Superman}} for the first time since 2017 in 2022's ''Film/BlackAdam'', Creator/HenryCavill filmed a similar cameo appearance for ''Film/{{The Flash|2023}}'' during reshoots. However, the scene showing Superman alongside other members of the Justice League was cut by the new heads of Creator/DCStudios, who announced that Superman would instead be recast with a younger actor in the character's next solo film.

* Creator/MichelleMonaghan had a role as a half-breed demon who had a relationship with the title character in ''Film/{{Constantine}}'', but her role was cut because they wanted to greater emphasize his loneliness, and her role conflicted with that.

*** Other deleted flashback scenes would've served an origin story for Comicbook/{{Cyborg}}, with Creator/KarenBryson playing his mother, Elinore Stone. Said deleted flashbacks also included a scene with Cyborg helping a StrugglingSingleMother played by C. Amanda Maud.
*** Other deleted scenes featured [[Comicbook/TheAtom Ryan Choi]], one of the scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs.
*** Audiobook reader and BitCharacter actor Creator/RayPorter was cast as Comicbook/{{Darkseid}}, who was supposed to lead the invasion to Earth in ancient times before his role was written out and replaced by Steppenwolf in said ancient times.
*** Comicbook/MartianManhunter (revealed to be [[spoiler:Calvin Swanwick and played by Creator/HarryLennix]]) was also cut, his scenes couldn't be filmed.
** ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' is an inversion -- all of the aforementioned missing characters are featured in this version. However, it also has a straight example, as Snyder cast Wayne T. Carr as the John Stewart version of Comicbook/GreenLantern in a cameo, only for the studio to request that the scene be cut.
** After previously having returned to the role of Comicbook/{{Superman}} for the first time since 2017 in 2022's ''Film/BlackAdam'', Creator/HenryCavill filmed a similar cameo appearance for ''Film/{{The Flash|2023}}'' during reshoots. However, the scene showing Superman alongside other members of the Justice League was cut by the new heads of Creator/DCStudios, who announced that Superman would instead be recast with a younger actor in the character's next solo film.

** Creator/TomHiddleston was meant to return as Comicbook/{{Loki}} for Thor's nightmare sequence in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''. However, test audiences found the nightmare sequence confusing (apparently some thought that Loki was controlling Comicbook/{{Ultron}}, and the fact that the scepter he used in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' to induce mind control is a MacGuffin in ''Age of Ultron'' probably didn't help), so it was drastically shortened, removing Loki's appearance in the process.

** Creator/NathanFillion was originally going to make an unorthodox cameo appearance in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' as [[Comicbook/WonderMan Simon Williams]], but with the twist that he'd only appear on a series of in-universe movie posters at a film festival. The scene with the film festival was cut from the finished movie, removing the easter egg in the process. Jennifer Sharp also filmed a flashback scene as [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Mantis]]' mother, which ended up being deleted.

* ''Film/TheMuppets'' originally had cameos by Creator/SteveCarell, Creator/BillyCrystal, Creator/WandaSykes and Creator/DannyTrejo. Sykes and Trejo's scenes [[MissingTrailerScene appeared on one of the trailers.]] (Trejo ''does'' appear in ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''.)

* ''[[Film/Titanic1997 Titanic]]'':

** Fan favorite Comicbook/{{Jubilee|MarvelComics}} appears in very minor blink and you miss it cameos in all three of the original ''X-Men'' films, but a slightly longer scene that had her showing off her powers was cut from ''X2''.

** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' was going to have the debut of Creator/ChanningTatum as Comicbook/{{Gambit}}. TheArtifact of playing cards remains in the opening sequence.

* Catherine Cobert was meant to appear in the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' pilot movie as the Justice League's PR liaison, but she ended up being cut for time. Her design was later recycled for the character of Cat Grant, and Catherine finally got to make a proper debut in Season 2.

** After previously having returned to the role of Comicbook/{{Superman}} for the first time since 2017 for 2022's ''Film/BlackAdam'', Creator/HenryCavill filmed a similar cameo appearance for ''Film/{{The Flash|2023}}'' during reshoots. However, the scene showing Superman alongside other members of the Justice League was cut by the new heads of Creator/DCStudios, who announced that Superman would instead be recast with a younger actor in the character's next solo film.

* Creator/FrankieHowerd (as Sam Ahab) and Wendy Richard had a cameo in ''Film/{{Help}}'' that was left out of final editing owing to its length. However, the sequence was left in the film novelisation.

* In the theatrical release of ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'', Sibylla's son does not appear, as the arc involving his character was cut for time. He does appear in the directors' cut.
** Several minor characters from Balian's village in France were also cut or DemotedToExtra for the theatrical release.
* Jean Yoon played Knives' mother in a deleted scene in ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' which recreates the scene of Scott and Knives' meeting from the comic.

* ''Theatre/{{Eurydice}}'' originally had two more characters, Eurydice's grandmother and the mother of the lord of the underworld, who were both played by the same actress. Critics felt their roles were confusing and didn't support the text, so future editions cut the roles.

* Music/MickJagger was supposed to appear in Creator/WernerHerzog's ''Film/{{Fitzcarraldo}}'', but various troubles with the production (along with Jagger's commitment to Music/TheRollingStones) led to his character being removed.

* Creator/WilliamHartnell had all of his scenes cut from ''Film/TheAbominableDrPhibes'', which would have been his final movie role prior to his death.
** A young Creator/JoannaLumley appeared as a laboratory assistant, but her scenes were also cut.

* ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'' originally had a subplot involving the titular hero having to prove the innocence of a client played by Music/{{Coolio}}, which was removed due to ExecutiveMeddling. It was later restored for the DirectorsCut.

** Fan favorite Comicbook/JubileeMarvelComics appears in very minor blink and you miss it cameos in all three of the original ''X-Men'' films, but a slightly longer scene that had her showing off her powers was cut from ''X2''.

** Lulu Wilson filmed a few scenes as ComicBook/DoctorStrange’s sister Donna for his [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 solo movie]] but they didn't make it into the final product.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]" originally had a scene where Twilight Sparkle took Princess Luna to see Rarity to help improve her image with a new dress. As a result of the scene being cut, Rarity had an [[AbsenteeActor absent episode]].

* Creator/IslaFischer, Creator/MinnieDriver, Erin Brockovich, and Creator/KelseyGrammer as Sideshow Bob recorded dialogue for ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie''. Their scenes were cut and have yet to be released to the public, although the filmmakers state that they may include them in a special edition DVD.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' a character named Chinaman was originally meant as one of the Dead Cell, but before release, he was cut for reasons unknown. Vamp ended up having his initial role (as an immortal KnifeNut vampire) merged with Chinaman's (as an expert swimmer and even able to run along water) in part because, compared to another member of Dead Cell, Oldboy (a hundred-year-old soldier who was supposed to be Big Boss' old mentor) who got cut almost as soon as he was conceived of, Chinaman lasted long enough into development to have a boss arena built for him that couldn't be easily removed or repurposed by the time they decided to remove him.

*** The movie originally featured appearances from Creator/WillemDafoe as Nuidis Vulko (to tease ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'') and Creator/KierseyClemons as Iris West (to tease ''Film/{{The Flash|2022}}''), including a scene where Barry would've used his powers to save Iris from a car accident. Both of these parts were cut, even though part of the car accident scene was used [[MissingTrailerScene in the trailer]].

*** When the casting call went out for teenaged Newt and Leta, there was another character listed named Sebastian who doesn't appear in the film. Although it's also speculated that it might have been a code for Newt's brother Theseus since there was apparently a scene between the two of them as teenagers that didn't make the cut.

** When the open casting call went out for teenaged Newt and Leta for ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'', there was another character listed named Sebastian who doesn't appear in the film. Although it's also speculated that it might have been a code for Newt's brother Theseus since there was apparently a scene between the two of them as teenagers that didn't make the cut. Kendra Dumbledore was also cast in the film but didn't make it into the final product.

* Several members of Music/NSync had cameos as Jedi during the arena fight in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', but all of their scenes were cut during editing.