The casting process for any movie is long and complicated, but for Toy Story, it was particularly difficult. It was an animated movie produced in the mid-‘90s, just as Aladdin was convincing studios that bringing in an A-list name to voice a cartoon character was a surefire way to produce a box office smash.

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On top of that, Toy Story's style of animation was entirely new. It was the first of its kind, a fully computer-animated feature film. Getting the right actors for each character was a tricky task. Here are 10 Actors Who Almost Voiced Iconic Toy Story Roles.

Clint Eastwood as Woody

One of the most renowned names in the Western genre, Clint Eastwood was one of Pixar’s top choices for the role of Sheriff Woody. It’s hard to imagine Eastwood bringing the same warmth to Woody that Tom Hanks eventually did.

The Dirty Harry actor is famous for playing all kinds of cowboys, from the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy to a sadistic demon in High Plains Drifter, but the role of Woody didn’t need a cowboy. It needed an actor with the range to portray jealous rage without losing likability, and Eastwood might not have been able to pull that off as well as Hanks did.

Billy Crystal as Buzz Lightyear

Billy Crystal was offered the role of Buzz Lightyear, but he turned it down because the animation style that he was shown on a visit to Jeffrey Katzenberg’s house was new and the film felt like an experiment that could’ve easily failed. Crystal has since said that this is the only time he’s ever regretted turning down a role.

A few years later, when Pixar called again with a different offer — the role of Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. — Crystal immediately accepted it, without learning anything about the character or the story. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

John Cleese as Slinky

When the Pixar team was coming up with the Toy Story characters and finding their voices, the role of Slinky was written with Monty Python alum John Cleese in mind. The role eventually went to Jim Varney, best known for playing Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies, who nailed it. Unfortunately, after Varney passed away in 2000, Slinky was unable to appear in the third and fourth movies.

As a Brit, Cleese has a very different voice and sensibility to Varney, and his take on Slinky probably would’ve been unrecognizable compared to Varney’s. But since Varney’s was so definitive, there’s no need for regrets.

An unknown Canadian actor as Duke Caboom

Duke Caboom performing a stunt in Toy Story 4

When the team brought in to rewrite Toy Story 4 dug out the Duke Caboom concept from an old draft, they decided to include him in the final version of the film. The casting people were planning to hold open auditions for the role, with the intention of casting an unknown Canadian actor.

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However, when they found out Keanu Reeves was interested, they realized he was the perfect man for the job. Reeves fleshed out the character with his own ideas about Duke’s insecurities over being unable to live up to the promise of his commercials, and the character was eventually given a much larger role in the story.

Chevy Chase as Buzz Lightyear

Dozens of actors were considered for the role of Buzz Lightyear. One who actually received an offer and turned it down was National Lampoon’s Vacation star Chevy Chase, which is probably for the best, because the Toy Story cast and crew became a sort of family (Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were brought to tears while recording their final scene for Toy Story 4) and Chase is notoriously difficult to work with.

The offer to Chase is what convinced Allen to take the role when he was offered it. He sees Chase as an idol, and was honored to be considered in his league.

Robin Williams as Woody

After he turned Aladdin into a box office hit, Disney viewed Robin Williams as a money-printing machine. They defied his wishes and used his voice to peddle products, which turned him against the studio. This may have contributed to Williams turning down the role of Woody.

The Jumanji star was one of the many actors considered to play Woody as Toy Story was heading into production. Williams likely would’ve delivered the same balance of humor, hubris, and humility that Tom Hanks would eventually bring to the role, as he proved such range in movies like Good Will Hunting, but Hanks still nailed it.

Rick Moranis as Rex

The joke behind the Rex character that has made him so endearing is that he’s a fearsome dinosaur — a Tyrannosaurus rex — and yet he’s a total wimp. Everything terrifies him. Wallace Shawn ended up playing the character, and has since done a terrific job of delivering all of Rex’s lines with an urgent sense of comical panic.

But before Shawn was recruited, the producers considered casting Rick Moranis. Moranis played a similarly timid and frightened character, Louis Tully, in the Ghostbusters movies. Although Moranis didn’t get the part, his Ghostbusters co-star Annie Potts did land the role of Bo Peep.

Carol Burnett as Mrs. Potato Head

After Mr. Potato Head emerged as one of the funniest supporting characters in Toy Story, Mrs. Potato Head was introduced in Toy Story 2. When the sequel was in pre-production, the producers considered casting Carol Burnett. Don Rickles, who played Mr. Potato Head, made three appearances on The Carol Burnett Show, so this could’ve been a nice reunion.

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Burnett eventually appeared alongside fellow comedy legends Mel Brooks, Betty White (who was also considered for the part of Mrs. Potato Head), and Carl Reiner in Toy Story 4. Mrs. Potato Head ended up being played by Seinfeld’s Estelle Harris, who had the perfect voice for the character.

Paul Newman as Woody

Before Tom Hanks emerged as the front-runner for the role of Woody, the Pixar team looked at older actors who were known for playing cowboys. One of those actors was Paul Newman, a screen legend from such films as Hud, The Sting, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Newman famously played a cowboy in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, one of the greatest movies ever made.

Newman’s take on Woody would’ve been totally different than Hanks’, but based on Newman’s nuanced turns in movies like Cool Hand Luke and The Hustler, his version of the character would’ve been just as human.

Jim Carrey as Buzz Lightyear

Pixar’s first choices for the roles of Woody and Buzz were Paul Newman and Jim Carrey, respectively, and there was a strong thematic reason for that. The story involves Woody having his leadership challenged when a newer, cooler, more technologically advanced toy enters Andy’s bedroom.

As a cowboy and a spaceman, these characters were conceived to reflect the death of “Old Hollywood” and the rise of “New Hollywood.” As a classical movie star who made his name in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Newman represented “Old Hollywood.” As the most popular and promising young star of the ‘90s, Carrey represented “New Hollywood.”

NEXT: Star Wars: 10 Actors Who Almost Played Iconic Roles