Actors who got paid for movies they weren't in

Shailene Woodley for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014)

Shailene Woodley was supposed  to play Spider-Man's love interest Mary-Jane Watson in 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014), but the actress only shot three scenes.

Bob Hoskins for 'The Untouchables' (1987)

Brian De Palma's 1987 film 'The Untouchables' brought together an all-star cast, including Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, and Robert De Niro.

Until the day he received a check for US$200,000 in the mail with a note from the director, which read, "Thanks for your time. Love, Brian."

Michael Biehn for 'Alien 3' (1992)

But Fincher needed a scene, so the solution was to make a facial cast and shoot it with another actor, essentially using Biehn's image. All the same, Michael Biehn got paid a lot of money for this, even though he was never actually in the movie.

Kevin Spacey for 'All the Money in the World' (2017)

Spacey had already shot all the scenes and dully fulfilled his contract, so he was paid for his work in full, despite not appearing in the final product.

Paul Rudd for 'Bridesmaids' (2011)

The scene, however, never saw the light of day in the final cut of the movie. But Rudd still got paid.

Johnny Depp for 'Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore' (2022)

But following Amber Heard's allegations and their subsequent legal dispute, Johnny Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.

Tim Roth for 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019)

Tim Roth has been working with director Quentin Tarantino ever since 1992's 'Reservoir Dogs.' The actor was supposed to star in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019) as a British butler.

Tobey Maguire for 'Life of Pi' (2012)

Believe it or not, Tobey Maguire was replaced by Rafe Spall in 'Life of Pi' (2012) because director Ang Lee thought he was too well known.

Harrison Ford for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982)

The actor had a cameo in the iconic movie. Harrison Ford played a school principal who reprimands the protagonist Elliott (Henry Thomas). Ford was great friends with Steven Spielberg, and it also helped that his then-wife, Melissa Mathison, wrote the screenplay for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982). Unfortunately, the cameo never made it to the final cut of the film. 

Eric Stoltz for 'Back to the Future' (1985)

Eric Stoltz was originally cast to play Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future' (1985), but after six weeks of shooting, Robert Zemeckis reluctantly decided to bring on Michael J. Fox instead.

Nicolas Cage for 'Superman Lives'

The actor was supposed to star in Tim Burton's 'Superman Lives,' but the movie never saw the light of day.

Kevin Costner for 'The Big Chill' (1983)

Kevin Costner was originally cast in Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 movie 'The Big Chill.' He played Alex, a character who's dead since the beginning of the film.