1Airplane! Offer Decline: Lee's Regret
Christopher Lee turned down the role of Dr. Rumack in the movie Airplane! The role was given to Leslie Nielsen, and Lee regretted that decision.
2. Theophylactus of Tusculum served as the Pope three separate times. Initially, he was elected because his father bribed the voters, but a rebellion overthrew him. Theophylactus returned to the throne but sold it to his godfather. Subsequently, he regretted selling it and reclaimed the throne.
3. After Independence, John Adams paid an official visit to King George III, who told him that he regretted being unable to prevent America from separating from England, while Adams expressed the wish to build a new friendship.
4. Sandra Bullock only agreed to star in "Speed 2" in order to get financial backing for her project, "Hope Floats." She has stated that she now regrets making the sequel.
5. Eddie Murphy turned down the role of Eddie Valiant in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" He later regretted the decision and said he "feels like 'an idiot' every time he sees it."
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6Loudspeaker Lament: Jensen's Regret
After seeing Hitler and other dictators abuse loudspeakers to spread propaganda, Peter Laurids Jensen regretted inventing the loudspeaker.
7. The photographer (Eddie Adams) of the South Vietnamese officer (Nguyen Ngoc Loan) executing the North Vietnamese man in front of him regretted ever publishing the picture and refused to testify against him when Nguyen was brought to trial on charges of committing a war crime. The guy he killed, Nguy?n V?n Lém, was alleged to have just cut the throats of South Vietnamese Lt. Col. Nguyen Tuan, his wife, their six children, and the officer's 80-year-old mother.
8. Before the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, a B29 weather reconnaissance plane called Straight Flush flew over the city to determine if conditions were favorable. Its pilot, Claude Eatherly, later expressed remorse, underwent psychiatric hospitalization, and became involved in anti-nuclear activism.
9. On the last day of his presidency, President Andrew Jackson admitted that he had but two regrets: that he "had been unable to shoot Henry Clay or hang John C. Calhoun."
10. J.K. Rowling initially allowed the American version of Harry Potter to say "mom." A lot of other words were also 'lost in translation,' e.g., crumpet became muffin. She later regretted this change, and all future editions of Harry Potter used the original British words instead.
11Holmes vs. Ali Regret: Larry's Tears
In 1980, Larry Holmes defeated Muhammad Ali in a title bout. Holmes seemed to show signs of regret for punishing Ali so much during the fight. Holmes appeared in a post-fight interview with tears in his eyes as he was asked why he was crying, replying that he respected Ali "a whole lot."
12. John Travolta was originally asked to star in the movie "Forrest Gump" but turned it down. He later regretted his decision.
13. Desperado, the song by the Eagles, was recorded in London with musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The large orchestra intimidated the lead vocalist Don Henley, who later expressed regret that he did not sing as well as he could.
14. The Pietà sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti was the only work he ever signed. He only did it after hearing someone claim the sculpture was theirs. He later regretted his outburst of pride and swore never to sign another work of his hands again.
15. After Ben Franklin lost his 4-year-old son to smallpox, he became an advocate for inoculation and stated in his autobiography, "I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation."
16Einstein's Nuclear Letter Regret
Albert Einstein originally wrote a letter to FDR, warning him that the US would lose the nuclear arms race to Germany. Years later, he admitted that he regretted signing that letter-the letter that apparently caused the nuclear arms race itself.
17. The role of Jafar in Disney's Aladdin was originally offered to Patrick Stewart, but he had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Stewart later said he regretted not taking the part.
18. The Back to the Future producers regretted ending the first film with Jennifer in the car because it required them to come up with a story that fit her rather than a whole new adventure.
19. Wendy's founder, Dave Thomas, regretted using his daughter's name. Not long before he died, he told his daughter, "I should've just named it after myself because it put a lot of pressure on you."
20. Ben Affleck was disappointed by Daredevil, calling it the only movie he actually regrets doing.
21Labradoodle Legacy Regret: Wally Conron's Choice
Wally Conron, the individual credited with sparking the trend for "designer" dogs by introducing the "labradoodle" breed, now expresses remorse for bringing the breed into existence.
22. Originally, the role of Buzz Lightyear was to go to actor Billy Crystal. His regret for turning it down led to him being cast as Mike Wazowski.
23. Mikhail Kalishnikov, inventor of the AK-47, greatly regretted having invented the weapon and is quoted as saying, "I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work-for example, a lawnmower."
24. Dave Chappelle was originally offered the role of Bubba in Forest Gump but turned it down, a decision he later regretted.
25. Anna Jarvis originally created Mother's Day to honor mothers who had passed away, but later regretted doing so due to what it had since developed into.
