Matt Damon — Rejected Avatar for $250M+

James Cameron offered Damon 10% of Avatar's profits to star as Jake Sully. Damon turned it down because he was committed to the Bourne franchise. Avatar grossed $2.9 billion — making Damon's rejected share worth over $290 million. He's called it "the most money any actor has ever turned down." Sam Worthington took the role and became... well, Sam Worthington. The fact that Damon could have earned more from one film than his entire career combined makes this the most financially painful "no" in cinema history.