In 1957, Cary Grant turned down an Oscar-winning role to work with a legend. That actor quit the movie before production began

Cary Grant turned down the role of Colonel Nicholson in *The Bridge on the River Kwai* to work with Marlon Brando in *The Pride and the Passion*. The choice meant passing on a part that won Alec Guinness the Best Actor Oscar, while the film Grant chose was less well received.

Grant later said Brando quit shortly before filming began and was replaced by Frank Sinatra. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the Stanley Kramer film also starred Sophia Loren and followed the effort to haul a huge cannon across Spain. *The Bridge on the River Kwai* won seven Academy Awards; Grant, despite two competitive Oscar nominations, never won one.