Harrison Ford could have went on to become a bigger actor than he is today, though he is one of the biggest already. Here are some close shots of Ford getting roles in these movies.

The Graduate

Director Mike Nichols turned down Ford for the role of Benjamin Braddock, who was played Dustin Hoffman.

Alien

Ford turned this one down himself, declining to play the role of Captain Dallas.

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Ford played Elliott’s school principal, but his part was cut from the film. His face wasn’t even visible before the cut because Steven Spielberg tried to keep faces of adults (except for Elliot’s mom) out of the film.

Terms of Endearment

Ford turned down the role of Garrett Breedlove that Jack Nicholson went on to win an Oscar for.

Big

When Anne Spielberg and Gary Ross took the script to director James L. Brooks, he tinkered with the script for a year and waited 6 months for Ford to play Josh Baskin. Unfortunately there was a dispute over who would direct the film, so Tom Hanks scored the part.

Die Hard

Ford belongs to a long list of actors who turned down the role of John McClane, including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Burt Reynolds, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere and Don Johnson.

Ghost

Ford read the script 3 times and didn’t really get it, so he turned the role of Sam Wheat down.

Cape Fear

Martin Scorsese asked Robert De Niro to ask Ford to play Sam Bowden (who was played by Nick Nolte) in the thriller remake. Ford told him that he would only be in the movie if he could play Max Cady and De Niro would play Bowden. De Niro said no.

Jurassic Park

Spielberg says he offered the role of Dr. Alan Grant to Ford at the 30th anniversary screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ford said Spielberg only hired him to play Indiana Jones.

A History of Violence

Ford turned down the role of the incognito mobster Tom Stall, whom Viggo Mortensen ended up playing.

Syriana

Ford almost played Rob Barnes (George Clooney’s role), but he didn’t trust the validity of some of the facts in the story about the oil industry. Later, the parts he didn’t like were taken out, and Ford said he wished he had taken the role.

Insomnia

Ford actually helped get the remake of the Norwegian thriller going, but Al Pacino ended up playing the role intended for him, police detective Will Dormer, after Christopher Nolan assumed the director spot.

The Sum of All Fears

Ben Affleck was the third actor to play Jack Ryan after Ford couldn’t agree with director Philip Noyce on how to fix the script.

Proof of Life

Ford could have played Terry Thorne, but director Taylor Hackford told the studio that he preferred Russell Crowe.

Traffic

20th Century Fox only wanted the movie if Harrison Ford agreed to star in it. He was interested, but backed out, along with the studio.

The Patriot

Ford thought the film was too violent, and Mel Gibson didn’t really care.

Saving Private Ryan

Spielberg considered Ford as well as Mel Gibson before landing on Tom Hanks to play Captain Miller.

The Perfect Storm

Air Force One director Wolfgang Petersen really wanted to work with Ford again, but he turned down the role of Captain Billy Tyne.

Half Baked

Dave Chappelle asked Ford to make a cameo, which he declined.