John Cleese has reflected on two film roles he declined and later regretted: parts in *The Bonfire of the Vanities* and *Dirty Rotten Scoundrels*. His comments illustrate how decisions made over concerns about directors or exhaustion can look different in hindsight, even for an established performer.

Cleese rejected the role ultimately played by Bruce Willis in *The Bonfire of the Vanities* because he was unsure that director Brian De Palma was suited to comedy. He also passed on Michael Caine’s role in *Dirty Rotten Scoundrels* after an intensive publicity tour, later describing that decision as a matter of poor timing.