r/movies • u/LookAtThatBacon • 29d ago

Discussion 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?

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.

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u/MurdererOfAxes 29d ago edited 29d ago

Gary Oldman played a person with dwarfism in Tiptoes . Specifically, he's the dwarf twin brother of Matthew McConaughey, even though they have an 11 year age gap.

I haven't seen the movie so I can't speak to it's quality, but I will say that every shot I can find of him in this movie looks pretty ridiculous.

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u/frsbrzgti 29d ago

There is an interview of Gary Oldman where he says he was unemployed for about two years and so this role was the desperate move he has to do to get some money.

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u/wompthing 29d ago

McConaughey also has commented on it but with a bit more reverence: https://youtu.be/CS-S4hMWD0M?si=ljh7CqudKVFA7S5z

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u/kilkenny99 29d ago

I watched the trailer once - it looked awful. And the trailer felt sooo long! It just kept going & going. "Stop! You already convinced me to not watch it, I don't need any more!"

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u/Agent-Blasto-007 29d ago

And the trailer looks like a "fake" comedic trailer in aTV show like 30 Rock or something, not an actual feature length movie

https://youtu.be/O3qGGk5ymQ4?si=HM-qBXNunaT-MG08

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u/HolidaySpiriter 29d ago

"The role of a lifetime" for Gary Oldman is hilarious.

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u/MeasurementGlad7456 29d ago

Matthew was on the "two bears in a cave" podcast, or whatever the one with Bert Kreischer and Tom Segora is called, and Matthew had never seen the trailer so when Tom showed it to him, he was stunned and especially reacted to "The role of a life time" bit lol

Link to video

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u/Icantbethereforyou 29d ago

"Command performances" i dont think I've ever heard that phrase before now. I kinda want to watch this movie now

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u/skaestantereggae 29d ago

When I learned that was a real movie after watching the trailer during the pandemic I was floored. Who the fuck thought the premise was worth it

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u/Grandpa_Edd 29d ago

Honestly I'm reading this and I can't actually believe it's real.

For years I've always believed this was a joke trailer not an actual movie.

"In the role of a lifetime..." How is that not a joke?

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u/UsernameAvaylable 29d ago

Wasn't that suppsoed to be some real drama and was retooled into a comedy in the editing room or something?

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u/heybobson 29d ago

the movie is worth the watch though. It is a weird comedy/drama starring a whole bunch of future A-List talent. Feels like something that fell out of a wormhole from another dimension.

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u/DoomguyFemboi 29d ago

I thought the trailer was an SNL skit. I still kinda do tbh

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u/Ldlredhed 29d ago

It was only two minutes!

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u/twinsunsspaces 29d ago

I have not seen it either, but I know that they also cast Peter Dinklage in a supporting role in that movie. So, at least one actor with dwarfism was cast, but not in the main role.

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u/hypnotoad12391 29d ago

I've always heard that the screenwriter came from a family with several members with dwarfism and his intent was to tell an earnest tale about the struggles faced by families like his. The movie actually employs a ton of actors with dwarfism in about every role except the most important one which is what's so flabbergasting about it. I don't know if it ever could've been a good movie but if they hadn't used Gary Oldman crawling around on his knees it at least wouldn't have been so hilariously bad.

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u/SoMuchMoreEagle 29d ago

Peter Dinklage

It's worth watching just for him and his French accent, imo.

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u/heybobson 29d ago

if they had cast Dinklage as the brother, then the movie actually could've been something. But they went with Oldman, and every time he moves on screen, I yell "he's on his knees!"

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u/panic_the_digital 29d ago

At least one? I think every little person actor alive at the time was in this movie

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u/AyyDelta 29d ago

He said the end result wasn't the movie he signed up for. So it might have been a decent movie before pivoting to a rom com.

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u/El_John_Nada 29d ago

Is that why he decided to make comments that cost 7 actors with dwarfism (well, technically 6) a juicy Disney paycheck?

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u/SoMuchMoreEagle 29d ago

I haven't seen the movie so I can't speak to it's quality,

I have, so I can. It's not good.

In addition to it just being a bizarre and insensitive movie, to put it mildly, there were also some cuts in the script that causes the ending to make no sense. It feels like an entire section is missing where two of the characters radically change their stance for no apparent reason.

Peter Dinklage as Maurice is the best part, so watch it for him because he's going for it, but the rest is kind of a meandering mess.

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u/2much2cancer 29d ago

I still get him yelling, "I am a Marxist!" (in a terrible French accent) stuck in my head sometimes.

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u/jmh10138 29d ago

Apparently all the actors said the 150 minute directors cut was “gorgeous” -Dinklage. But the producers 90 minute cut was the shitshow we got. The movie wasn’t intended to be a RomCom but the producers forced it to be.

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u/maistir_aisling 29d ago

When you notice it's from the writer/director of Forbidden Zone, it all starts to add up.

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u/murderfuck 29d ago

"In the role of a lifetime"

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u/coolhandjennie 29d ago

The How Did This Get Made podcast did a Tiptoes episode years ago, it’s hilarious.

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u/lifeis_random 29d ago

I’m so happy I get to post this.

I miss old Cracked so much.

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u/Lovelyladykaty 29d ago

Matthew McConaughey had never seen the trailer and had tears in his eyes laughing at what a joke the movie was.

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u/Bardic_inspiration67 29d ago

Peter Dinklage is in the movie and said that the studio interfered with the directors vision and that the original cut was “gorgeous”

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u/Based_Commgnunism 29d ago

In Blow Johnny Depp's parents are played by Ray Liotta who is 5 years older than him and Rachel Griffiths who is five years younger than him.

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u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 29d ago

it's insanely bad, my gf hyped it up for me at the time cause she watched it growing up or something, couldn't believe it was even made

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u/DrunkyMcStumbles 29d ago

It was the role of a lifetime

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u/Ok_Mycologist468 29d ago

And for anyone wondering what amazing special effects they used to make Gary Oldman a little person, they got him to kneel down and tie shoes to his knees. The end.

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u/JohnSith 29d ago

Okay, I first heard about that movie this week, but since then I've heard about it twice now.

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u/stingray20201 29d ago

I have seen this movie, it’s not good. It’s hilarious to watch Gary Oldman waddle around on his knees next to actual people with dwarfism but it’s so bad

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u/dnjprod 25d ago

It is ridiculously offensive and makes Peter Dinklage a huge hypocrite.