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Bill Murray is notoriously an actor who is hard to get in touch with. Perhaps thats why the famously reclusive star has such an extensive list of roles he almost played. However, for 1993s Groundhog Day, it wasnt Murray who missed out but actor Tom Hanks. If the Forrest Gump star feels like an odd choice for Groundhog Day, even Hanks is happy he passed on the comedy.

Directed by Harold Ramis, Groundhog Day stars Murray as arrogant weatherman Phil Connors who finds himself trapped in a time loop. Every morning, he awakes in snowy Punxsutawney, Penn. on the eponymous holiday. And no matter what he does, he cannot simply make it to tomorrow. Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott co-star as Phils love interest and cameraman, respectively.

Thanks to Murrays star power and its sharp premise, Groundhog Day was a box office hit. However, in the time since its release, the movie has become something of a modern classic. Ramis, of course, co-starred with Murray in the Ghostbusters films years earlier. And the two had a falling out after its release, a rift only repaired just months before Ramis died in 2014.

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Reportedly, Ramis and Murray disagreed on which themes the movie should explore. Still, in hindsight, its difficult to picture anyone but Murray in the role. Phil Connors feels so tailored to his comedic skill set, after all. But as Ramis revealed during a Q&A in Chicago in 2009 (via The Hollywood Reporter), he actually wanted Hanks to headline Groundhog Day.

Audiences would have been sitting there waiting for me to become nice because I always play nice, Hanks said regarding the role, according to Ramis. But Bills such a miserable S.O.B. on- and offscreen, you didnt know what was going to happen.

To be fair, Hanks has a point. Hanks admits he doesnt always live up to his nice guy persona. Plus, when hes played a villain (The Ladykillers, The Circle), it hasnt exactly worked out. Seeing as he would win back-to-back Academy Awards soon after Groundhog Day, it all worked out for Hanks.

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Hanks and Murray arent ordinarily two actors who fans mix up. Hanks started off in comedy before focusing on drama, whereas Murrays career went the opposite direction. But wildly, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich still confused the two stars at a congressional hearing in 2012.

According to The Atlantic, Kucinich told Attorney General Eric Holder he must feel like Tom Hanks in Groundhog Day. The congressman was quick to correct himself after the fact though. Just add this instance to the mythic trivia regarding Ramis and Murrays now-beloved comedy.

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'Groundhog Day': Tom Hanks Once Admitted He's Glad He Turned Down the Movie - Showbiz Cheat Sheet