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Imagine GONE WITH THE WIND without Clark
Gable. CASABLANCA without Humphrey Bogart, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA without Peter
O'Toole.
That's the difference between typecasting and casting by second
choice. A classic example of typecasting is Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. Whereas, Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine is casting against type. Today we can no longer imagine anyone but Bogie
as Rick CASABLANCA (1942)
(1) Had not director Michael Curtiz's intuition over-turned
by Warner Bros first choice - Ronald Reagan - surely CASABLANCA could not been the cinematic classic it is today.
As was the case, when producer David O Selznick insisted that only a Clark Gable type would do Rhett Butler justice, over author Margaret Mitchell's choice of Errol Flynn for the lead.
Selznick decision is proof enough that this visual metaphor works. For
68 year later, the names Gable and Rhett are still drawn in the same
breath, despite the fact that he went on to make another 28 movies, Gable
as Rhett will always be synonymous.
Suffice to say typecasting does pay its dues for many actors. John Wayne (the
cowboy hero) Errol Flynn (the rampant swashbuckler) and Cary Grant (the debonair lover) all relied on their two faced images.
Like them, Spencer Tracey was also a party to the typecasting, but he endorsed it. When he was asked if he wasn't sick and tied of always playing Spence, he retorted: "What am I suppose to do, play Bogart?"
(2) By the 1970's Robert Redford's name on the marquee commanded a mass audience, did you know in 1963 and again in
1967 Bob lost two great starring roles? The first, by a quirk of fate, the second his own misjudgment.
When director Roman Polanski wanted Redford for the role of Rosemary's husband Guy in ROSEMARY'S BABY, Paramount stepped in and legally stopped negotiations - much to Robert's dismay.
(3) Four years late, Redford flatly turned down the lead role in THE GRADUATE. Bob's misguided decision, however, created a magical career opportunity for unknown actor, Dustin Hoffman.
(4) Another little known fact is that although, Paul Newman was always in the running for Butch in BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID,
but in 1955 Paul was first choice for EAST OF EDEN before James Dean got the role.
(5) STARS WARS and its sequels brought Harrison Ford fame and fortune but his stardom was not totally consolidated until he took over as a last minute replacement for Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.
(6) Again, fate dealt trumps for Peter O'Toole after he was cast by director, David Lean as Lawrence in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA because Albert Finney turned down the role.
(7) However writer/director Billy Wilder must be the all time casting loser when trying to put a face to his characters. For SUNSET BOULEVARD he saw Montgomery Clift before he gave William Holden the part. Initially, Monty did not regret his decision when he was quoted as saying: "The script had holes in it that I couldn't ignore." When, SUNSET BOULEVARD become a cult classic, Monty recanted: "Billy, should've tried harder to get me interested."
(9) For THE DEFIANT ONES (1958) Wilder saw none other than Marlon Brando as the racists white-man chained to a black-man. What Wilder thought to be a simple matter of typecasting turned into a farce, as he explains: "First I went to Brando, and Marlon said, "Yes, I'll do it, but I want to play the black
man"
"So, I asked Kirk Douglas. He said, "Yes, I'll do it, but I want to play both parts." Interestingly, before the lead finally went to Tony Curtis, Wilder even considered Elvis
Presley
Several Academy Award winning performances came about as the result of
second choice casting.(10) Monty Clift said that he couldn't relate to the role of a ex-prizefighter of ON THE WATERFRONT which landed Marlon Brando an Oscar.
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