By Emily Feimster When picking the right scripts, one actor's trash can easily become another actor's treasure. After all, what a different world it would be if Tom Selleck had starred as Indiana Jones and Will Smith played Neo in "The Matrix." Luckily Hollywood had other people in mind. Now certain names have become synonymous with certain characters, but sometimes it took someone else saying no. So who are these people who passed up big parts? Well, take a look for yourself!

Rob Lowe was certainly kicking himself after "Grey's Anatomy" soared into stardom. He passed on the romantic lead role, which eventually went to Patrick Dempsey, and revived the actor's career. "I coulda been McDreamy!" he told reporters. "It's an occupational hazard. It's like Brad Pitt turns down 'The Matrix' to go do 'Seven Years In Tibet.' It happens to everybody. The great thing is that Patrick Dempsey is so great in that part and he's such a great actor. If I'd have done that I wouldn't be doing this great part and having this fun on (his new series) 'Brothers And Sisters.' It all works out." Hey, whatever makes him feel better!

"Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker had a similar outlook when she saved Teri Hatcher from the fate of doing Radio Shack commercials for the rest of her life. Parker turned down the "Desperate Housewives" role of Susan Mayer, which has made Hatcher a household name, because she didn't feel it was right for her. She said: "I didn't feel like it was my part. I felt like it was some other actress' part. I think it fits her (Hatcher) wonderfully. I think she's so perfect for it, I'm so happy for her. I certainly don't begrudge her her success. I don't think I really fit in that world necessarily. I don't like to think in terms of regret."

Of course how different would "Survivor" be without Jeff Probst as host? And how sad must "Entertainment Tonight's" Mark Steines be for missing out on that opportunity? We're sure a lot more than he lets on. He told our column, "I knew Mark Burnett shortly after he was a nanny in Beverly Hills. Over the years we have stayed in touch. Mark first approached me to host 'Survivor' when that came about but because of my schedule with 'ET,' I wasn't available."

However, there are plenty of other entertainers out there who aren't quite as nonchalant about their missed opportunities. Will Smith once stated that in his whole career, he most regrets turning down the part of Neo. He instead made the film "Wild Wild West." Let's just hope he fired his agent! The same could be said for Sean Connery, who turned down the role of Gandalf in "Lord of the Rings" and Morpheus in "The Matrix" because he didn't understand the scripts. Years later, he said that he chose to do "the League of Extraordinary Gentleman" - despite not understanding the project - because he regretted turning down both "The Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings."

Then there are those who missed their big break, but not by choice. Although Daniel Day-Lewis was repeatedly offered the role of Aragorn in "Lord of the Rings," he said no, and the role went to Stuart Townsend. After shooting began, Peter Jackson recast the role when he felt Townsend was too young. It became Viggo Mortensen's biggest project to date. Well, at least Townsend had the shoulder of Charlize Theron to cry on.

Eric Stoltz was cast as Marty McFly in "Back to the Future" after Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale were unable to get their first choice, Michael J. Fox, due to scheduling conflicts. After filming for six weeks, Stoltz was let go from the film because they felt he was "too intense" for the character. Fox, who was then available, took over the part.

Let's face it, though, there are plenty of other actors, who have also benefited from someone's bad luck or bad decisions. Anne Hathaway beat out Sienna Miller for the role of Lureen Twist in "Brokeback Mountain." Miller was reportedly ill the day of her audition. Kate Hudson was originally supposed to play the forgetful Anita in "Almost Famous," but was given the role of Penny Lane when Sarah Polley dropped out. Kelly Lynch and Kim Basinger turned down the role of Catherine in "Basic Instinct," which made Sharon Stone a superstar. Renee Zellweger gained international stardom and was nominated for an Oscar for playing Roxie Hart in "Chicago," but lucky for her, Toni Collette had turned down the part. Val Kilmer said no to "Dirty Dancing," leading the way for Patrick Swayze not to put Baby in the corner.

So many of Hollywood's near-miss castings have wound up benefiting both actors' careers and audience's enjoyment. If it hadn't been for 20th Century Fox's unwillingness to loan her out to MGM, it might have been Shirley Temple, not Judy Garland, singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" before being taken up by tornado to the magical land of Oz -- a tough one to imagine now for Munchkins everywhere.