{"id":46606,"date":"2015-06-16T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T10:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=46606"},"modified":"2015-06-16T11:43:38","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T15:43:38","slug":"originally-starring-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=46606","title":{"rendered":"Originally Starring 6"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wonder what <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D11135&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Philadelphia Story<\/a> would have looked like with Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable in the male lead roles? Can you even imagine <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D14855&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Breakfast at Tiffany\u2019s <\/a>Holly Golightly as played by Marilyn Monroe? Well, we did! And you can see the results <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/originally-starring-4\/\">here<\/a>! This is where we re-imagine classic movie posters as if the initial casting choices actually did pan out. For our sixth installment of Originally Starring, we continue telling the back stories of actors who won (or lost) choice roles and the reasons why they did.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Terminator.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46607\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Terminator.jpg\" alt=\"The Terminator\" width=\"450\" height=\"595\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Terminator.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Terminator-227x300.jpg 227w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D73463&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Terminator (1984)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=james+cameron&amp;submit_search.x=36&amp;submit_search.y=14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">James Cameron<\/a> rebuffed Orion Pictures&#8217; request to cast O.J. Simpson for the lead role because, as he stated in 1984, \u201c\u2026people wouldn\u2019t have believed a nice guy like O.J. playing the part of a ruthless killer.\u201d The writer\/director had his own ideas who should play the merciless android and that person was\u2026<a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Lance+Henriksen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Lance Henriksen<\/a>. Here\u2019s Lance\u2014drawn by Cameron himself\u2014as his ideal Terminator:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Henriksen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46608\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Henriksen.jpg\" alt=\"Henriksen\" width=\"350\" height=\"302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Henriksen.jpg 350w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Henriksen-300x259.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Cameron wanted his time-traveler to be \u201can infiltration unit\u201d; an unassuming individual who would easily blend into a crowd. But after his first meeting with the hulking <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Arnold+Schwarzenegger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a> Cameron gushed that \u201che\u2019d make a hell of a Terminator.\u201d No hard feelings; Henriksen accepted the role of Detective Hal Vukovich.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Captain.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46609\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Captain.jpg\" alt=\"Captain Blood\" width=\"450\" height=\"741\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Captain.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Captain-182x300.jpg 182w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D62590&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Captain Blood (1935)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>The first choice for the role of Peter Blood was not previously-unknown Aussie actor <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Errol+Flynn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Errol Flynn<\/a>. It was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D49864&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Robert Donat<\/a>. He portrayed a suave swashbuckler the previous year in The Count of Monte Christo and seemed perfect for the role of Irish doctor turned pirate. Both his chronic asthma and longing for a return to his native England caused Donat to unexpectedly bow out. That turn of events had producers re-thinking their original choice of Jean Muir for the female lead. Producer Hal B. Wallis saw this as an opportunity to showcase his latest \u201cprot\u00e9g\u00e9,\u201d the 19 year-old Olivia de Havilland. This would be the first of eight films the gorgeous screen couple would make. Fun fact: Flynn\u2014perhaps the most notorious womanizer in Hollywood\u2014never shared his bed with de Havilland.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Easter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46610\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Easter.jpg\" alt=\"Easter Parade\" width=\"450\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Easter.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Easter-206x300.jpg 206w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D59251&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Easter Parade (1948)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>Here we have a double whammy of medical maladies. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Fred+Astaire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Fred Astaire<\/a> was the Brett Farve of his day when it came to retirement. He did not need much prodding to keep stepping back into the limelight. Such was the case in 1947 when MGM called, begging for his return. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=gene+kelly&amp;submit_search.x=27&amp;submit_search.y=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Gene Kelly<\/a> had long ago secured the lead role opposite Judy Garland and was now in the middle of rehearsals for Easter Parade when he broke his ankle (Kelly told producers the accident happened while practicing a dance routine; it was actually a sports injury). Three days later Astaire was on set. Also, Ann Miller auditioned and won the role of Nadine Hale after torn ligaments sidelined the already-cast Cyd Charisse.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/High.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46611\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/High.jpg\" alt=\"High Sierra\" width=\"450\" height=\"776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/High.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/High-174x300.jpg 174w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D49714&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">High Sierra (1941)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=george+raft&amp;submit_search.x=33&amp;submit_search.y=17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">George Raft<\/a> was well established as a Hollywood actor known mostly for his gangster roles. By now Raft could play hoodlums so well that real mobsters were imitating him! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Humphrey+Bogart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Humphrey Bogart<\/a> was nothing compared to Raft. He was playing thugs on camera too, but in relative obscurity hoping for a big break. Bogart saw that break in High Sierra. Though it was yet another gangster role, Bogart wanted the part badly because the character had some depth and was sympathetic. Veteran Raft would get first dibs to play Roy &#8220;Mad Dog&#8221; Earle, of course, but he was tiring of being a heavy and of being killed off yet again in the last reel. As a result, Raft backed away and his star power diminished immediately. Filling that void was Bogart. It truly was the breakthrough role Bogart imagined, catapulting him to fame.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/I-Married1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46619\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/I-Married1.jpg\" alt=\"I Married A Witch\" width=\"450\" height=\"357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/I-Married1.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/I-Married1-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D32559&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">I Married a Witch (1942)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>Perhaps director <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=rene+clair&amp;submit_search.x=27&amp;submit_search.y=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ren\u00e9 Clair<\/a> should have talked to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Joel+McCrea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Joel McCrea<\/a> before deciding to direct Veronica Lake in I Married a Witch. McCrea on filming Sullivan\u2019s Travels with Lake: \u201cWe would go through about fifteen takes while she was learning her lines. Then by the time she got it great, I was kind of pooped out and tired.\u201d McCrea was to play the male starring role here but bailed when he heard Lake was to get the female lead, saying \u201cLife is too short for two films with Veronica Lake.\u201d Ironically, once <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=fredric+march&amp;submit_search.x=43&amp;submit_search.y=10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Fredric March<\/a> took over for McCrea, their acting styles were reversed. March performed best after repeated takes; Lake was so much better early on that Clair would shoot Veronica (unbeknownst to her) during rehearsals. The March\/Lake duo fared no better. Fredric sniped that Veronica was \u201ca brainless little blonde sexpot, void of any acting ability.\u201d Lake got her revenge by torturing March\u2014like when a scene called for March to pick up &amp; carry Lake she surreptitiously stuffed a 40-pound weight up her dress!<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Kings-Speech.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46613\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Kings-Speech.jpg\" alt=\"The Kings Speech\" width=\"450\" height=\"666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Kings-Speech.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Kings-Speech-203x300.jpg 203w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D45540&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The King\u2019s Speech (2010)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><em>\u201cHugh is kicking himself,\u201d claims an associate. \u201cHe realizes that the king\u2019s struggle to overcome his speech impediment would have been a wonderful part, particularly as viewers would have recalled Hugh\u2019s stuttering in Four Weddings and a Funeral.\u201d<\/em> That\u2019s a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/celebritynews\/8082966\/Hugh-Grant-gets-the-royal-blues-over-acclaim-for-Colin-Firth-in-The-Kings-Speech.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">direct quote<\/a>\u00a0taken from the Mandrake, the pop culture\/celebrity section of Britain\u2019s newspaper The Telegraph. The Mandrake <a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/celebritynews\/8269816\/Colin-Firth-was-the-third-choice-to-play-George-VI-in-The-Kings-Speech.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">subsequently reported<\/a>\u00a0that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=colin+firth&amp;submit_search.x=31&amp;submit_search.y=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Colin Firth<\/a> was actually the <em>third<\/em> choice to play King George VI, behind <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=hugh+grant&amp;submit_search.x=38&amp;submit_search.y=17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Hugh Grant<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=paul+bettany&amp;submit_search.x=18&amp;submit_search.y=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Paul Bettany<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>End of story? Not quite. While all of this seems perfectly plausible and could very well be the honest truth, there\u2019s a tiny problem with corroboration\u2014which is to say I could find none. There are a multitude of articles making reference about Hugh \u201cregretting\u201d his decision, but each and every one is sourced back to this single Telegraph report. Going back to re-read the original piece I noticed this in the article\u2019s subhead: \u201cHugh Grant is <em>believed<\/em> [emphasis mine] to have turned down the role in The King\u2019s Speech.\u201d Hmm\u2026well, did he or didn\u2019t he? Fact is I have not found any quotes from either Hugh Grant or director <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=tom+hooper&amp;submit_search.x=25&amp;submit_search.y=17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Tom Hooper<\/a> on the subject. Perhaps the Mandrake did get the scoop\u2026it makes for an interesting anecdote, especially here for Originally Starring. On the other hand, it wouldn\u2019t be the first time a gossip column let facts get in the way of a juicy story.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Lawrence.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46614\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Lawrence.jpg\" alt=\"Lawrence Of Arabia\" width=\"450\" height=\"672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Lawrence.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Lawrence-201x300.jpg 201w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D36428&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Lawrence of Arabia (1962)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>Turner Classic Movies\u2019 website has this interesting anecdote: \u201cProducer Sam Spiegel\u2019s first choice to play Lawrence was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Marlon+Brando\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Marlon Brando<\/a>, who at the time was the same age Lawrence had been in 1917. When Spiegel announced his choice, one incredulous British reporter asked, \u2018Will it be a speaking part?\u2019 referring to the Method actor\u2019s renowned mumbling. After the conference, Brando\u2019s management announced that he had yet to sign for the role. Eventually, he would decline the project because of his commitment to the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962).\u201d Well, that and a cushy on-location shoot in Tahiti, as opposed to a grueling, sweltering production in the deserts of the Middle East. After Brando\u2019s exit director <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=david+lean&amp;submit_search.x=48&amp;submit_search.y=12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">David Lean<\/a> then grew enamored of Albert Finney. But, like Brando, Finney also chafed at the thought of a punishing schedule in intense heat. He passed. Then\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Peter+O%27Toole\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Peter O\u2019Toole<\/a> did his screen test. Lean finally had found his man, gushing \u201cThis is Lawrence!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Pandora.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46615\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Pandora.jpg\" alt=\"Pandoras Box\" width=\"450\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Pandora.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Pandora-205x300.jpg 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Pandora\u2019s Box (1929)<\/h1>\n<p>German film director <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=G%2E+W%2E+Pabst&amp;directorID=7253&amp;selectedTab=directorTab&amp;ss=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">G.W. Pabst<\/a> spent a considerable amount of time &amp; effort trying to find his Lulu\u2014the quintessential femme fatale from Pandora\u2019s Box. It had been months but no woman could walk that knife edge of sexual seductiveness and naivet\u00e9, power and fragility that the role demanded. That all changed when he saw American actress <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=louise+brooks&amp;submit_search.x=43&amp;submit_search.y=16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Louise Brooks<\/a> in A Girl in Every Port (1928). She was perfect. He quickly contacted Paramount and tried to get Brooks on loan from them. Negotiations stalled, and then broke down completely. Pabst knew that the already-established German movie star <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Marlene+Dietrich\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Marlene Dietrich<\/a> would eagerly take the part. Heck, the German film press thought it was a forgone conclusion: Dietrich <em>was<\/em> Lulu! So with reluctance he resigned himself to offer it to her. She accepted. Dietrich went to see Pabst in order to sign the contract. While Marlene was at his office Pabst received a cablegram: Brooks had quit Paramount. She was now available. Pabst wasted no time jettisoning Dietrich (\u201c\u2026too old and too obvious\u2014one sexy look and the picture would become a burlesque\u201d) to get his number one choice all along.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Point.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46616\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Point.jpg\" alt=\"Point Break\" width=\"450\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Point.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Point-224x300.jpg 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=B51001&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Point Break (1991)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>Empire magazine about casting for Point Break: \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Patrick+Swayze\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Patrick Swayze<\/a> had been in the frame since the start. The 38 year-old Texan was offered the choice of both roles, finally deciding on the part of spiritual surfer and bank robber, Bodhi. With Swayze on board and enthusing about\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Kathryn+Bigelow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Kathryn Bigelow\u2019s<\/a> \u2018wet Western\u2019 (as she was now calling it), the second role\u2014the brilliantly-monikered F.B.I. Agent, Johnny Utah\u2014remained to be filled. First to be approached was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Matthew+Broderick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Matthew Broderick<\/a> who, despite being in the process of trying to shake the teen image he had fostered with War Games and Ferris Bueller\u2019s Day Off, turned the role down in favor of the disastrous comedy Out on a Limb.\u201d Wipeout! Rough seas continued for Bigelow when she made <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Keanu+Reeves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Keanu Reeves<\/a> her second choice. Twentieth Century-Fox was not on board. Bigelow recalled: \u201cConvincing everybody that he was the right person took a bit of doing. It was perceived as a stretch for him.\u201d Bigelow eventually got her way and rode that wave to success.<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Producers.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46617\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Producers.jpg\" alt=\"The Producers\" width=\"450\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Producers.jpg 450w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Producers-202x300.jpg 202w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=B52865&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Producers (1968)<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>When penning the script director <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Mel+Brooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mel Brooks<\/a> wrote the larger-than-life character Max Bialystock with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Zero+Mostel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Zero Mostel<\/a> in mind. Casting the milquetoast accountant Leo Bloom seemed to go smoothly at first. Brooks asked <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search_type=title&amp;search=peter+sellers&amp;submit_search.x=21&amp;submit_search.y=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Peter Sellers<\/a> to do the role and Sellers agreed. Super! Except that when Brooks started production he never heard back from Sellers. Time to go to Plan B. Luckily, Brooks would be introduced to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=Gene+Wilder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Gene Wilder<\/a> and he realized immediately that he had his man.<\/p>\n<p>End of story? Not quite. Though Sellers had passed on the part he still thought Brooks\u2019 movie was pure genius. So when he learned that executives at Embassy Pictures were refusing to release the film (they deemed it in \u201cbad taste\u201d) Sellers placed an advertisement in Variety singing its praises, proclaiming it the \u201cultimate film,\u201d and urging support for a wide theatrical release. Sellers didn\u2019t stop there. Preceding its release in the UK he took out a double-page ad in the Sunday Times that was even more effusive in its accolades than in his stateside advert. Not done just yet, Sellers showed up on Parkinson, a BBC1 TV talk show, donning a Nazi helmet quoting the entire \u201cHitler was a better painter than Churchill\u201d speech. Even though he had opted out early on, Sellers knew a great script when he read one and wasn\u2019t shy about expressing his views. The voting Academy took notice, awarding\u00a0Brooks the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marlon Brando as Lawrence of Arabia? Captain Blood with Robert Donat? For our sixth installment of Originally Starring, we continue telling the back stories of actors who won (or lost) choice roles and the reasons why they did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":46618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1347,1598],"coauthors":[1714],"class_list":["post-46606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staff-notes","tag-movie-history","tag-movie-posters"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Originally Starring 6 - MovieFanFare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read about famous film roles originally starring different actors: Marlon Brando as Lawrence of Arabia, Lance Henriksen as The Terminator, and more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=46606\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Originally Starring 6 - 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