For a long time, we imagine that Kevin Costner had no regrets about turning down the main role in 'The Shawshank Redemption' at all. While it's a much-loved movie now, it was a total bust when it was released, and failed at the box office. Costner's reason for staying away from it was that he was busy filming 'Waterworld'- which fared even worse at the box office - but at least Costner wasn't left feeling that he'd missed out on a hit. He probably just wrote it off as a bad year in his career.
Time has changed the way people think about 'The Shawshank Redemption.' Streaming and DVD releases have given people the chance to see it again, and the film's reputation has enjoyed something of a redemption of its own. That's good news for Tim Robbins, who picked up the part that Costner turned down. As for 'Waterworld' - there's no sign of a re-evaluation happening any time soon!