Bollywood actor Govinda has claimed on multiple occasions that he was offered the lead role in James Cameron’s blockbuster sci-fi film ‘Avatar’. While Sam Worthington bagged the once-in-a-lifetime role that came with a heavy salary, take a look at the other actors who were considered for the role of Jake Sully/Tsyeyk te Suli

Matt Damon

Damon famously declined the offer of playing Sully to focus on the Bourne film series – a decision which he later came to regret due to the success of the film. Jackpot for Worthington’s bank account thanks to Damon!

Jake Gyllenhaal

Gyllenhaal was also approached to embody the lead role but declined because he felt he was not ready to work on a big-scale project. He went on to star in ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ instead, feeling he “resonated” with the character more. Okay, Jake.

Chris Pratt

Pratt auditioned for the role, later admitting on the SmartLess podcast that his audition did not go as well as he had hoped. He also said he was not taking care of himself physically and was “drinking a lot” during that time

Chris Pine

Prior to playing Capt. Kirk in the ‘Star Trek’ series, Pine had auditioned for ‘Avatar’ but had somewhat of a disastrous audition. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he said the experience would "probably haunt me for the rest of my life”

Chris Evans

Ending the holy trinity of Chrises, Evans was locked in as one of the three finalists in Cameron’s film, but the director himself admitted during an interview with Empire that though he liked his appeal, he chose another. It’s alright! Evans got to play Captain America two years later

Channing Tatum

Tatum was the other finalist in Cameron’s Sully audition process, but among the three final choices, one stood out among the others