Posted on 09/02/2018 7:40:26 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
This is not a joke: George Raft himself supplied the reason why he turned down the starring role of Rick in "Casablanca." He said, "I don't want to star opposite an unknown Swedish broad."
Raft was a curmudgeon - the Juan McCain of Hollywood - and it hurt his career.
George Raft wrote an autobiography, “How To Float”.
100 Actors Who’ve Turned Down Big Movie Roles
http://www.onlygoodmovies.com/good/movies/100-2/actors/
Thought this one was interesting....
“Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The part went to Ian McKellen. It’s interesting to note that Connery cost himself $400 million dollars by passing on the part (he was offered 15% of the film’s profit).”
When Raft died of leukemia at 79 y/o in 1980, he was living on $800 per month from SS and his SAG pension. His estate consisted of a $10k insurance policy and some personal property that sold for ~$800. Raft left no will, and I believe he had no children. His long-estranged wife died in 1970.
My GF and I watched casablanca again 3 months ago. And I’ve seen it 5 times. 5 times I never changed my tune: the moral of the story is that women are manipulative *itches. Elsa tried to use Rick for her own selfish reasons and the same applies to Gone With The Wind with Scarlett and Rhett.
It’s amazing how many on that list that I am GLAD turned down the role. In many cases the person that actually did the movie turned out to be a lot better than the one that turned it down.
Several I’d call a push - for example, Tom Hanks in Field of Dreams.
Wow, that’s some take on Elsa’s character and motivation. She was desperate to get her husband, a noble man she admired greatly and a major thorn in Hitler’s side, out of danger. If they’d caught him, he was destined for torture and death, and the Resistance might’ve been compromised. I hardly call that selfish.
I concur wholeheartedly with you about Scarlet and her motivation.
I’m sorry. But I just don’t see what the big deal is about this movie.
I’m sorry. But I just don’t see what the big deal is about this movie.
““Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”
He was holding out for Dumbeldore.
Same here. If you want Bogie at his best, watch The African Queen.
Ric was probably a pimp on the side and most likely used an enforcer to collect gambling debts. His roulette wheel was crooked (fact). He might have reported small fry spies to the Nazis for them to allow him to stay open.
Connery was also going to be the next “Tarzan” after impressing the producers when he appeared in a small role in “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure”.
But he was called back by another producer after auditioning for a new film called “Dr. No”. The rest is history.
Also interesting how many of those roles were turned down by multiple actors, like Neo in the Matrix. In fact Keanu Reeves career seems to have been a series of being 2nd (or 3rd, 4th or 5th) choice.
Patrick McGoohan passed on the role of James Bond, because he was a devout Catholic who did not want to portray a debauched man as a hero.
It was he who recommended the largely unknown Sean Connery.
After Connery quit the role, they offered it again to McGoohan. He still turned it - and millions of dollars, and worldwide fame - down.
I respect him greatly - my favorite actor:
Danger Man / Secret Agent Man
The Prisoner
Ice Station Zebra
Braveheart
...and he played the villain on a bunch of Coloumbo’s.
-PJ
Insiders say Raft was never offered the “Rick” role......but he dined out on the self-made rumor for many years.
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