Ray Winstone almost joined EastEnders as Billy Mitchell’s brother back in the day.
But the much-loved star turned down the incredible role after he bagged Hollywood number instead.
BBC bosses were said to be desperate to get the cockney star into Walford.
And Perry Fenwick, who plays Billy, revealed how close they came in 2008.
He told Inside Soap magazine: “It nearly happened once.
“Ray was thinking about it, and then he got a role in Indiana Jones.
"If it was a choice between Hollywood or Borehamwood, I know which way I’d go.”
Winstone, 64, landed the part of George “Mac” Michale in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
In a 2012 Mirror article about soap roles he said: “I’m not a big fan.
"I like to play different people.”
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