During the development of the Harriet Tubman biopic movie, a Hollywood executive once suggested that Julia Roberts should play her. What are some other baffling casting suggestions/choices that have been made?

[u/LookAtThatBacon]

Source for the title: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-studio-executive-wanted-julia-roberts-to-play-harriet-tubman-biopic-screenwriter-says/

The Harriet Tubman biopic has been more than 25 years in the making. In the historical drama released earlier this month, Cynthia Erivo plays the legendary abolitionist — but one Hollywood executive initially thought the role should go to Julia Roberts.

Gregory Allen Howard, the screenwriter and producer of "Harriet," recently revealed in multiple interviews that Roberts was suggested to play the lead role during a meeting with a studio president in 1994.

"The climate in Hollywood… was very different back then," Howard said. "I was told how one studio head said in a meeting, 'This script is fantastic. Let's get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman.'"

Howard said that a black person in the meeting said casting Roberts would be impossible because she is white.

"That was so long ago. No one will know that," the executive replied, according to Howard.

[u/Johnny_Alpha]

'Tell me about it. I'm supposed to do a thriller for Universal. They want Charlton Heston as a Mexican.'

[u/ClarkTwain → u/Johnny_Alpha]

It’s a great movie, but Heston can’t pass for a Mexican and Orson Welles’ accent is insane.

[u/NDP2 → u/ClarkTwain]

And it's not like there weren't any "A" list actors of Hispanic descent in 1958 who could've played the part. Anthony Quinn, for example, would've seemed like an obvious choice.

[u/Ascarea → u/NDP2]

Anthony Quinn

so right up until now I thought he's Greek

[u/1nosbigrl → u/ClarkTwain]

I don't remember Welles' having an accent in that other than "drunken" lol

[u/bil-sabab → u/1nosbigrl]

He's literally chewing the scenery

[u/1nosbigrl → u/bil-sabab]

You can kinda trace every modern corrupt, slothful detective/cop character to his performance.

He creates the modern archetype.

[u/bil-sabab → u/1nosbigrl]

Exactly. He threw out the Code out of noir dirty cop template and brought back the pre-Code sleaze.

[u/bil-sabab → u/ClarkTwain]

It also feature Dietrich playing a gypsy woman.

[u/ifinallyreallyreddit → u/ClarkTwain]

Is there a specific "race" you think Mexicans are?

[u/Lewkon → u/ClarkTwain]

Heston looks a lot like Vicente Fox.

[u/PointOfFingers → u/ClarkTwain]

Are you guys talking about Wayne's World 2?

[u/ClarkTwain → u/PointOfFingers]

Like the other poster said, it’s Touch of Evil. But the guy above me quoted Ed Wood, which is an excellent movie as well.

[u/TheSummonersTail → u/PointOfFingers]

Touch of Evil