Few of the most iconic and obvious film roles are played by the directors' first choice, and the story could have been very different...
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There are, of course, many things that need to fall into place for a film or TV series to become a timeless classic and a pop culture phenomenon. One such thing is, of course, the actors. It's almost hard to imagine anyone other than Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones or Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley. It would have immediately become something completely different, and most likely also worse.
Of course, getting these perfect casts is difficult, and the fact is that things could have been very different. Countless of those we now consider to be obvious roles are actually not the first choice, but had someone completely different in mind from the start. Thankfully, that didn't happen, but here are some examples of how it could have gone
Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly (Back to the Future)
Michael J. Fox playing Marty McFly is now as obvious as the earth being round, but the fact is that he didn't get the part, it went to Eric Stoltz instead and filming started. But Stoltz lacked comic timing and after a month the production realised it wasn't quite working. Michael J. Fox was cast instead and the rest is history.
Frank Sinatra as John McClane (Die Hard)
As you may know, the film Die Hard is based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever, in which Gruber takes control of a Los Angeles skyscraper at Christmas time. However, it was book number two in the series, the first of which was called The Detective. It had been filmed long before with Frank Sinatra in the lead role, and when the time came for Die Hard, Sinatra was asked if he wanted to play the lead role here too. He didn't and the production looked for someone more hard-boiled for the role, such as Al Pacino, James Caan or Paul Newman. Willis, best known for his romcom Moonlighting, was way down the list - but still got the part in the end - and it's a good thing, because chances are we would never have learnt to love the expression Yippee ki-yay otherwise.
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Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio or Will Smith as Neo (Matrix)
If the film crew had their way, Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio would have played Neo in The Matrix. And it almost happened, as both actors initially said yes. But for different reasons they dropped out (Brad was tired after the flop of Seven Years in Tibet and Leo didn't want to do another special effects fest after Titanic). Will Smith was also offered the chance to play Neo, but turned it down, and Keanu Reeves thankfully got the chance to make film history.
Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Perhaps the most iconic name on the list, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, wasn't actually the first choice when Stephen Spielberg started filming Raiders of the Lost Ark. Instead, it was Tom "Magnum P.I." Selleck, who was also interested. But he was busy with his successful TV series, which he couldn't drop, and the scheduling conflicts couldn't be resolved. Instead, it was Ford's turn, and probably no one mourns that at all.
Al Pacino as Han Solo (Star Wars: A New Hope)
George Lucas had worked with Harrison Ford before, but for the role of Han Solo it was not Ford he had in mind. Initially, the role went to Al Pacino, who later said in interviews that he got so much money, but he didn't understand the script. He has also said that in this way he gave Ford a career. We can all agree that Pacino is a phenomenal actor, but would Star Wars be what it is today without Harrison Ford's reluctantly kind-hearted smuggler? It's debatable...
Nicolas Cage or Russell Crowe as Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings)
Viggo Mortensen certainly seemed cut out for the role of Aragorn, but the fact was that Peter Jackson and the gang had several other heavyweights in mind beforehand. One of them was Nicolas Cage, but for personal reasons he found it difficult to go to New Zealand for several years, so he turned it down. Russell Crowe was also asked, but Crowe has since said that he didn't feel wholeheartedly sold about it on Jackson's part, so he also turned it down.
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John Travolta as Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)
We can thank Quentin Tarantino for giving Tom Hanks the chance to really make film history with Forrest Gump in 1994, as director Robert Zemeckis wanted Travolta to play the lead, but he was too busy shooting Pulp Fiction. So Tom Hanks got the role instead. Ironically, both Travolta and Hanks were nominated for this year's Academy Award for Best Actor, with the latter winning for the role Travolta turned down.
Sean Connery as Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings)
Perhaps the best acting performance in the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy was given by Ian McKellen as Gandalf. But before he got it, the idea was for Sean Connery to play the fantasy wizard instead. The old Mi5 agent with the right to kill didn't quite get it and turned it down, and didn't seem to be bitter about it. In typical British fashion, the late Mr Connery said he still couldn't have topped McKellen's fantastic performance.
Mel Gibson as Maximus (Gladiator)
One of the most iconic performances of all time for me is Russell Crowe as the gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius, which has helped make the film one of my favourites. But Ridley Scott had originally intended Mel Gibson to play the lead role instead and talks began. However, Gibson was 43 years old at the time and thought he was too old, which is fair enough. So the New Zealander Crowe got to play Maximus instead and film history was made.