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Turned Down Roles

posted 2 months ago by VHSGuy123 (66)
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1961: West Side Story (Role: Tony) (Actor who got it: Richard Breymer) (Reason: Beatty was considered and was the prime contender for the role)

1963: PT 109 (Role: John F. Kennedy) (Actor who got it: Cliff Robertson) (Reason: Warren Beatty was John F. Kennedy’s personal choice to play in the film, but the Director didn’t want him cast, deciding he was unstable for the role)

1963: The Leopard (Role: Tancredi Falconeri) (Actor who got it: Alain Delon) (Reason: Luchino Visconti wanted Warren Beatty for the role, but Warren Beatty turned down the role)

1963: Charade (Role: Peter Joshua) (Actor who got it: Cary Grant) (Initially, Cary Grant turned down, so MGM tried to rework it with Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood in the leads until Cary Grant changed his his mind and accepted the role)

1967: The Graduate (Role: Benjamin Braddock) (Actor who got it: Dustin Hoffman) (Reason: He was considered and was on the shortlist for the role)

1969: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (Role: Bob) (Actor who got it: Robert Culp) (Reason: Beatty turned down the role)

1969: Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (Role: The Sundance Kid) (Actor who got it: Robert Redford) (Reason: Beatty was offered the role, but turned it down to work with George Stevens)

1972: The Godfather (Role: Michael Corleone) (Actor who got it: Al Pacino) (Reason: Quote from Beatty, “Before Francis [Ford Coppola] ever got involved with it, [Paramount head] Charlie Bluhdorn had commissioned the book to be written [into a screenplay]. I think he had paid $24,000 to Mario Puzo . And Charlie had liked Bonnie & Clyde a lot, and he sent it to me, and he said I could do whatever I wanted, produce, write it, direct. I read the galleys, and I said, 'Charlie, there's no movie here.'

1973: The Way We Were (Role: Hubbell) (Actor who got it: Robert Redford) (Reason: He Turned down the role)

1973: The Sting (Role: Johnny Hooker) (Actor who got it: Robert Redford) (Reason: Beatty turned down the role so he could devote time to the George McGovern Campaign).

1974: The Great Gatsby (Role: Jay Gatsby) (Actor who got it: Robert Redford) (Reason: Beatty turned down the role so he could devote time to the George McGovern Campaign)

1978: Superman (Role: Clark Kent / Superman) (Actor who got it: Christopher Reeve (Reason: Quote from Beatty, “I believe they came to me first with Superman and I didn't think they were actually going to make a movie...and I said, 'This is kind of ridiculous.' And so I said to my assistant, run out and get me some long underwear. So she brings back the long underwear, and I take off my pants — not in front of her, by the way — and put on the long underwear, and open the full-length mirror, and I went to the telephone and I said, 'Look, just forget about Superman, it ain't going to happen.' And then the movie was terrific”.

1979: All That Jazz (Role: Joe Gideon) (Actor who got it: Roy Scheider) (Reason: Warren Beatty was interested but he ultimately wasn’t cast)

1984: Splash (Role: Allen Bauer) (Actor who got it: Tom Hanks) (Reason: Beatty turned down the chance to star in order to star in his own Mermaid Movie (Which Wasn’t Made ) )

1987: Wall Street (Role: Gordon Gekko) (Actor who got it: Michael Douglas) (Reason: The Studio wanted Beatty and ask him to play, however, Beatty turned down the role, as he wasn’t interested).

1988: Big (Role: Josh Baskins) (Actor who got it: Tom Hanks) (Reason: Beatty was offered the role, but he turned it down)

1990: Misery (Role: Paul Sheldon) (Actor who got it: James Caan) (Reason: Beatty was interested in the role, wanting to turn him into a less passive character but eventually had to drop out as post-production of Dick Tracy extended)

1993: Dave (Role: Dave Kovic) (Actor who got it: Kevin Kline) (Reason: Beatty was the 1st choice for the role, but he turned it down)

1993: Indecent Proposal (Role: David Murphy) (Actor who got it: Robert Redford) (Reason: Beatty was the 1st choice for the role, but he turned it down)

1993: Schindler's List (Role: Oskar Schindler) (Actor who got it: Liam Nesson) (Reason: Beatty was considered for the reason and actually attended a script reading, but Spielberg decided to turned him down because he felt Beatty couldn't disguise his accent and felt he would bring "movie star baggage".

1995: Nixon (Role: Richard Nixon) (Actor who got it: Anthony Hopkins) (Reason: Stone met with Warren Beatty but Beatty declined as he felt that "Nixon was not treated compassionately")

1995: Jade (Role: David Corelli) (Actor who got it: David Caruso) (Reason: Beatty was the 1st choice for the role, but he turned it down)

1996: Mars Attacks! (Role: James Dale) (Actor who got it: Jack Nicholson) (Reason: He was in consideration for the role)

[–] VHSGuy123 (66) 2 months ago

1997: Boogie Nights (Role: Jack Horner) (Actor who got it: Burt Reynolds) (Reason: He turned down the role and later felt this was one of few times where he regret not doing the role Quote from Beatty “I felt that I didn’t want to do a movie about porn when I was having these kids, and that’s probably a snobby….by the way, I think it’s a very good movie. And PTA is a very, very good director,”

2001: The Royal Tenenbaums (Role: Royal Tenenbaum) (Actor who got it: Gene Hackman) (Reason: Originally, Gene Hackman turned down the role, and Warren Beatty was the prime contender (or 2nd choice) for the role, however, Hackman later changed his mind and accepted the role)

2003-2004: Kill Bill (Role: Bill) (Actor who got it: David Carradine) (Reason: Quote from Beatty, For “Kill Bill,” Tarantino wanted him for the titular character, but Beatty reveals why he declined. “I believe it was my suggestion that David Carradine would be best for it. I didn’t want to leave my kids…He was shooting the movie in China, and I thought [Quentin was] going to be over there for a long time. And he said, no [it won’t be that long]. In fact, he was over there for exactly the time that I predicted. (laughs) I would love to work with Quentin.”)

2008: Frost/Nixon (Role: Richard Nixon) (Actor who got it: Frank Langella) (Reason: Like Nixon, Beatty turned down the role as he felt that "Nixon was not treated compassionately”)

2024: Megalopolis (Role: Unknown) (Reason: Back in the early 2000s, Coppola was attempting to get Megalopolis and almost succeeded and rumors were circulating that Beatty was up for the role of the Mayor. However, 9/11 put a end to Megalopolis until 2019, when Coppola revived the project, by which point, Beatty is now too old for the role)

[–] DoctorThirteen (15276) a month ago

'I believe it was my suggestion that David Carradine would be best for it.'

Beatty was right. For me Carradine is the best thing in those (terrific) movies, and the main reason I prefer KB2 to KB1. His final scene is so perfect.

[–] MCguy (1346) 2 months ago

I am a Beatty fan. I think he does what he does very well. I thinks he is aware of what he does very well. He was wise to turn down these films; he wouldn't have worked in them and he knew it.

[–] bozo_500 (13384) a month ago

Superman, at the time it must've seemed ridiculous, like the George Reeves series but on the big screen, like how can it work? Not just how to do the FX realistically etc but the cartoonishness of it. I mean.. Superman? But he's right the movie was terrific, the FX worked, and it felt 'real'

[–] DancingintheDark (1805) a month ago

“ …but Spielberg decided to turned him down because he felt Beatty couldn't disguise his accent.…”

And he went with Liam Neeson instead?!?, Neeson, whose ability to hide an accent is on par with Arnold Schwarzenegger…, that’s hilarious!

I’m a fan of Neeson btw and loved his work in Schindler's List, but c’mon Spielberg, I think that accent bit was just a way of saying, you’re too much of a star Beatty and I need something else to add to that to turn you away.

Awesome list btw!

[–] DoctorThirteen (15276) a month ago

Wow, Robert Redford took a lot of those.