Lines 14 Actors Refused To Say On Screen - And Why

Original Line: “I love you too.”

Replacement: “I know.”

Reason For The Change: It has been confirmed that one of the most iconic Star Wars lines was improvised. In the original script, Han Solo was supposed to say “I love you too” in response to Princess Leia's “I love you.” While that would've been a more heartfelt response, it was simple and didn't fit Han Solo's character. So, Harrison Ford said “I know” on the spot, which seemed to fit Han Solo's cocky personality better. Now, it's one of the memorable lines from the series, so changing it was a good choice.

Original Line: “Everybody wants to be me.”

Replacement: “Everybody wants to be us.”

Reason For The Change: During the table read for The Devil Wear Prada, Meryl Streep wasn't afraid to let her thoughts be heard. Her character, Miranda, had the last line of the film, and Streep decided to make a small change during the table read. She changed ‘me’ to ‘us,’ and it immediately stuck. Even though only one word is different, it was an important change that created an iconic ending line. When looking back on that table read, Anne Hathaway said:

I think we all had an idea of what Miranda would sound like. It was a strident, bossy, barking voice. So when Meryl opened her mouth and basically whispered, everybody in the room drew a collective gasp. It was so unexpected and brilliant.

Original Line: In an episode where people mistook Chrissy for a prostitute because of her prostitute friend, the friend was supposed to call Chrissy “priceless.” Janet's response was supposed to be, “and she's going to stay that way.”

Replacement: The line was removed.

Reason For The Change: Joyce Dewitt, who played Janet on Three's Company, put up quite a fight when she first heard this line. She told producers that it didn't match Janet's character, especially since Janet had no problems with Chrissy's prostitute friend earlier in that same episode. Her co-star, John Ritter, offered to have his character take the line instead, but no one changed the script. When it was time for Dewitt to read the line, she refused because she had already repeatedly told producers she didn't like it. She recalled:

I leaned back in my chair and took the deepest breath. And instead of answering this idiotic question. I said, 'Mickey, I'll tell you what the deal is with this line. You can come out with a gun during the five-thirty show and hold it to my head and I still won't say that line for you. Is that clear enough?' That's why it took.

Original Line: Multiple lines that Alan Rickman deemed “terrible.”

Replacement: Rickman rewrote many of his lines in the script.

Reason For The Change: Alan Rickman has never been one to star in a role he wasn't proud of. So, when he read the script for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and found it terrible, he didn't hesitate to step in. Rickman asked director Kevin Reynolds if he could make changes to the script, and Reynolds gave the actor the ability to alter the script however he wanted.

Rickman didn't want the film to feel like it was lecturing anyone or taking itself too seriously. It was a Hollywood version of the legend of Robin Hood, and Rickman knew exactly how to play it that way. To ensure the screenplay was interesting, Rickman asked his friend, Peter Barnes (a playwright and screenwriter) to help him brainstorm. Rickman recalls:

He said 'well, here where it says you're coming down the corridor and you're wiping the scar off of the statue - you should have a wench in a doorway, and then you should say, 'You. My room, 10.30,' and then turn to the other wench and say, 'You, 10.45'.

Original Line: Patrick Warburton said: "the episode was so offensive I can't repeat it now. It had to do with Christ on the cross but there was no humor in it and it was just so, so horribly offensive.”

Replacement: This line was scrapped.

Reason For The Change: While Family Guy is a show that's often filled with raunchy, offensive jokes, the actors can still draw the line on some concepts. Patrick Warburton, who voices Joe Swanson, said that this was the only time he was so offended by a joke that he wouldn't record it. Not only did he find the joke offensive, but he didn't even think people would find it funny. He pointed out that it was the type of joke that could cause them to lose viewers. He explained:

It wasn't a Joe line but I said, 'Guys, I can't participate in this episode if that line is in it. It's a personal thing.' I know what I signed up for. I signed up for a really offensive show and it is satire and there are different rules that govern satire - there are, because of what they've gotten away with.

Warburton didn't want to get in the way of production, but he personally didn't want anything to do with the episode. After he stated how he felt, the producers agreed that the joke would never get approved anyway.

Original Line: All the character's lines.

Replacement: None - the character was written as a mute.

Reason For The Change: Crispin Glover originally turned down the role for the Thin Man in Charlie's Angels. He claimed the villain's dialogue was terrible, so he didn't want to be part of it. He didn't like how the dialogue was all expositional, but he had plenty ideas on how to improve it. He suggested that the villain should be a mute instead, and the director ended up agreeing with that. So, Glover accepted the role and played the character wonderfully without saying a word. In an interview, Glover said:

In the case of Charlie’s Angels, it was a very active character that had to do with a lot of physicality. When I read the screenplay, it was quite expositional, it didn’t need to be said. So it made it much stronger for the character not to say anything.