Billy Bob Thornton reveals why he rejected iconic ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Mission: Impossible’ villain roles

· New York Post

He wasn’t feeling green. 

Billy Bob Thornton, 69, has revealed that he turned down not one, but two infamous villain roles.

During an interview on The Playlist’s “Bingeworthy” podcast, the “Bad Santa” star recalled turning down the Green Goblin role in the 2002 “Spider-Man” movie, and arms dealer Owen Davian in 2006’s “Mission: Impossible III.”

“I don’t have much interest in those kinds of roles,” Thornton said. 

He added, “With the Green Goblin, I didn’t feel like getting up at 4 a.m. for five or six hours of makeup.”

Billy Bob Thornton is pictured on Nov. 15, 2024 in New York City. GC Images
Willem Dafoe accepted the Green Goblin role opposite Tobey Maguire in 2002’s “Spider-Man.” ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Mission: Impossible III.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

The Green Goblin was ultimately played by Willem Dafoe, while Owen Davian was played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. 

Dafoe, who reprised the Goblin role in 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” has said that he would play the Green Goblin again. 

“I really didn’t want to do a cameo,” Dafoe told The Mary Sue. 

“I wanted to make sure there was something substantial enough to do that wasn’t just a tip of the hat. And the other thing was, I said I really want there to be action — I want to take part in action scenes. Because that’s really fun for me. It’s the only way to root the character. Otherwise, it just becomes a series of memes.” 

Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible III.” Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection
Billy Bob Thornton at a “Landman” screening on Nov. 15, 2024. Getty Images for Paramount+

As for why Thornton rejected the “Mission: Impossible” villain role, he explained, “And with ‘Mission: Impossible III,’ I didn’t want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise. If you’re the bad guy in a big movie like that, audiences remember it forever.”

Hoffman, who tragically died in 2014 of a drug overdose at age 46, played the role in a way where an unnamed “Mission: Impossible” co-star told Wild About Movies,  “if Philip [Seymour Hoffman] doesn’t win Best Supporting Actor next year, there is something wrong with the voting process at the Oscars. I have never seen anyone play bad so good.”

Thornton, who currently appears in Taylor Sheridan’s “Landman,” said that he turned down both iconic roles because “I prefer to keep things looser and less predictable.”