Sam Worthington Dodged A Bullet By Missing Out On This Infamous DC Superhero Role
Sam Worthington rose to mainstream fame when he played Jake Sully in James Cameron's 2009 film "Avatar," but he hasn't exactly parlayed his leading role in what was once the most commercially successful film of all time into a household name with leading man status. And though his career hasn't exactly seen a meteoric rise between "Avatar" and the new sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water," Worthington was under consideration for more than one high-profile blockbuster role during that intervening period.
You might assume that Sam Worthington, whose IMDb page shows a mix of everything from leading roles in smaller projects to TV show appearances and even video game voice acting since starring in "Avatar," would regret those bigger roles that got away. But there is one example of a part he missed out on that he can, by most accounts, consider himself fortunate not to be involved in — and it happens to be one of the most infamous DC Comics adaptations ever made.
He says he lost the chance to play Green Lantern due to his own bluntness
That's right, Sam Worthington was once up for the role of Hal Jordan/Green Lantern for the 2011 "Green Lantern" movie, which ended up starring Ryan Reynolds and became one of the most maligned superhero projects of all time in the process. Its dismal critical and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes attest to that, if its status as a later Ryan Reynolds punchline in "Deadpool 2" (YouTube) doesn't do the trick on its own.
In an interview with Variety to promote "Avatar: The Way of Water," Worthington remembered how his own reaction to the script wasn't the one Reynolds depicts in "Deadpool 2." "It didn't make much sense to me," admitted the actor, adding that his willingness to bring his issues with the project to the filmmakers might have cost him the role. "I was like, 'He's got this powerful ring that can create anything. Well, what can beat the ring?' The answer was, 'Nothing.' I was like, 'Well, something needs to beat it, or it won't be very interesting,'" recalled Worthington.
While Green Lantern is one of the most beloved superheroes in the comic DC Universe, Worthington was correct that the limitless capabilities of his signature power ring do make telling compelling stories about him a challenge, particularly in a feature film designed for audiences who might not necessarily be familiar with the character.
As it turned out, the 2011 film didn't really succeed in that challenge, and it's unlikely (but not impossible) that the film would have been any better with Worthington in the role instead. And we definitely would not have that "Deadpool 2" gag to enjoy, so it's probably settled that everything came out for the best in the end.