Shrek was almost played by another A-List actor that could have killed the film

Shrek has become so iconic in the last couple of decades that it's hard to imagine him with anything other than Mike Myers' voice, but it turns out the Canadian actor wasn't the first choice for the role.

"Donkeh!" and "GET OOT A MA SWAMP" are just a couple of the lines people love to impersonate from Shrek after Myers took on the role for the original 2001 film.

He returned again, again and again to provide the ogre with his recognisable Scottish accent, with the success of - and ongoing adoration for - the franchise proving that he absolutely nailed it.

However, all of that could have been very different if another actor hadn't turned down the role way before the film made it to cinemas.

Picture the scene: 'All Star' by Smash Mouth starts playing, we see Shrek carrying out his morning routine, and then he opens his mouth and who do we hear? None other than Ghost Rider and National Treasure actor Nicolas Cage.

DreamWorks animation

Admittedly it's very, very hard to imagine, but it's true.

In a 2013 interview with Today, Cage confirmed that he did in fact turn down the role of Shrek while the creators were looking for their leading ogre more than two decades ago.

"That is in fact true," he said of dismissing the role.

Cage continued: "Well, the news said it was because of vanity. I think that's a bit strong. But the truth is, I'm not afraid to be ugly in a movie.... When you're drawn, in a way it says more about how children are going to see you than anything else, and I so care about that."

The actor took on the role of another animated character a few years later, when he voiced the big, gruff character Grug in The Croods.

Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

Explaining why he chose Grug after turning down Shrek, Cage said: "I want kids to look at Grug (and think) 'well, he's a little scary, but he's a big teddy bear'. And I wasn't sure I could do that with Shrek."

Though Myers might not have been the first choice for Shrek, the franchise wouldn't have been the same without him.

Fans have expressed their relief that Cage turned down the role, with one writing: "I'm glad Mike Myers eventually took the role, because I can picture Shrek being voiced by Nicolas Cage and it doesn't work."

Another commented: "Disaster averted! Mike Myers was just perfect!!"

Cage has his strengths - finding hidden treasure being one of them - but I think we can all agree that Myers is, and always will be, the perfect Shrek.

Topics: Nicolas Cage, Celebrity, Film and TV

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.