Sandra Bullock's First Major Role Was Almost Played By Someone Else

Sandra Bullock is America's sweetheart. Fans have watched her blossom and grow as an actress for decades as she's taken Hollywood by storm with hit movies such as Speed, Practical Magic, Hope Floats, A Time to Kill, Miss Congeniality, and The Blind Side, which she won an Academy Award for (via IMDb). The actress has tried her hand at many movie genres, but it's her romantic comedies that seem to appeal to her fans the most. 

According to Biography, Bullock struggled to find big roles in the early days of her career. She got her first part in an off-Broadway play called No Time Flat. She was highly praised for the role. She used the buzz around her performance to find an agent. Following the production, she moved on to parts in television and in B-movies. She earned the role of Tess McGill in NBC's Working Girl sitcom, but the show didn't last long. She then co-starred with Tate Donovan in the movie Love Potion No. 9. In 1993 she finally got her big break, but that role was nearly played by another actress.

Sandra Bullock's first big role came in the 1993 sci-fi film Demolition Man. The movie starred box office heavy hitters, Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Actress Lori Petty was also cast in the film. Petty has earned success with her roles in movies such as Point Break and A League of Their Own. However, less than a week into filming Petty was fired from the production (via Buzzfeed). Bullock was cast as Petty's replacement, which offered her the start to her career. Just one year later, Bullock went on to co-star with Keanu Reeves in Speed, which is considered to be her breakout role. 

Meanwhile, Petty has kept mostly quiet about the reason behind her firing. She has stated that she and Stallone didn't get along well on set. However, other reports suggest that the studio didn't like the early work from her scenes. In addition, actor Nigel Hawthrone has revealed that working on the movie was "miserable" due to the stars and producer Joel Silver, per Film Stories. Petty touched on Silver's behavior years later when she refused to "gossip about his unkindness." Despite the alleged bad working conditions, the movie did help to skyrocket Bullock's career, which now contains a body of work that fans have come to know and love.