Sam Rockwell has revealed the role he most regrets not taking, and it wasn't a film part he read for and missed out on, but a stage production he turned down entirely: a 2007 run of David Mamet's American Buffalo at Dublin's Gate Theatre. The actor, known for an eclectic career mixing lead roles with acclaimed supporting turns, made the admission when asked whether he had any career regrets, distinguishing it from missed film auditions he says he doesn't dwell on.

Speaking to 52 Insights, Rockwell said he had read for parts in films such as Unforgiven and Dead Poets Society and the TV series Twin Poems without regret, but that passing on American Buffalo, which starred a young Domhnall Gleeson in Dublin and drew strong reviews, still "bugs" him. The story has a coda: the play was revived on Broadway in 2022 and Rockwell finally took the role, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor.