#6: A pair of rising actors passed before the roles were cast
Justine Bateman was offered the role of Linda Barrett but chose a different path, opting to join Family Ties instead — a decision that ended up serving her career well. With her passing on the part, Phoebe Cates stepped in and delivered one of the film’s most memorable performances.
Matthew Broderick also declined a role, turning down the chance to play Jeff Spicoli. Though he skipped the iconic surfer-slacker character, his career didn’t suffer in the slightest. He soon landed projects that defined his early image, proving that saying no to Fast Times didn’t slow him down at all.