Yes, Dick Van Dyke did hold himself to a higher standard when it came to choosing roles. People came to view him a certain way and he wanted to uphold that. He mentioned in a Larry King interview, per CNN, that he had turned down the role of Robert Thorn in “The Omen,” which ultimately went to Gregory Peck. Van Dyke told King that it was because it had “a lot of violence, a lot of gore, and I just didn’t want to do that kind of thing.” Which is a fair reason. The man had been quite successful in his career, so he did have the luxury of picking and choosing his roles.
What did he do during that time? He occupied himself with appearances on “The Carol Burnett Show” (per IMDb). The only thing he probably found scary during that time was trying not to break character when acting in a scene with Tim Conway. While he may have wondered what life may have been like had he taken that role in “The Omen,” his acting career was none the worse for his decision. Van Dyke was true to himself, and it all ultimately paid off for him in the long run.
