Gabriel Iglesias Rejected Happy Feet For $800 & Points — The Movie Made $400M! I CLUB SHAY SHAY

TL;DR

Gabriel Iglesias turned down a Happy Feet role for $800 and backend points because his manager called it a "stupid penguin movie."

Key Points

• 1.He was cast as the sidekick "Deli Penguin" role — the part eventually played by Robin Williams — after impressing producers by singing "My Way" in Spanish.
• 2.His manager at the time dismissed the offer, saying he'd make more money on the road doing stand-up. He passed, the movie earned nearly $400 million, and that manager was later fired.
• 3.He made a second animation mistake with Planes, where he skipped a table read to do road shows. Replacement reader Carlos Alazraqui killed it so hard, Iglesias got fired from the lead sidekick role.
• 4.Both losses taught him to say yes automatically to any animated film offer and to always show up in person, no matter what weekend work conflicts arise.
• 5.His biggest career lesson: "You are replaceable." He says someone is always waiting in the wings, which is why he never takes vacations — every trip abroad has a show attached to it.