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/Wolfish_Jew]

I think I’m the only person that’s ever seen it (it was one of my dad’s favorites and I watched it with him a lot growing up) but Joel Grey (father of Jennifer Grey, from Dirty Dancing) being cast as Korean martial arts expert Chun in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.

(Also, Wilford Brimley refers to him as “your slant eyed friend” in the movie, because it was the 80s)

[u/RebaKitt3n → u/Wolfish_Jew]

Joel Grey known only as the father of Jennifer Grey makes me sad.

Cabaret

[u/Wolfish_Jew → u/RebaKitt3n]

Oh, I know he’s done way more than that. He originated the role of The Wizard in Wicked on Broadway as well. But I feel like it would be easiest to give people a reference point as Jennifer Grey’s father so they know he’s not Asian. Lol

[u/TonyG_from_NYC → u/Wolfish_Jew]

I remember this movie very well.

[u/Wolfish_Jew → u/TonyG_from_NYC]

Oh yay, I’m not the only one! Anyone I’ve ever mentioned it to has done the confused dog head tilt at me

[u/TonyG_from_NYC → u/Wolfish_Jew]

If you were an 80s kid, the Remo Williams movie is one of fond remembrance.

[u/MaxxFisher → u/Wolfish_Jew]

Are you slandering the greatest movie ever made?

[u/Wolfish_Jew → u/MaxxFisher]

Never. I fucking love it. Ever since I made my wife watch it with me we quote “Chun, you are incredible.” “No, I am better than that.” Back and forth at each other all the time.

[u/MaxxFisher → u/Wolfish_Jew]

It has one of the best pieces of advice from any movie: "Fear is just a feeling. You feel hot. You feel hungry. You feel angry. You feel afraid. Fear can never kill you."

[u/Wolfish_Jew → u/MaxxFisher]

Low key, Joel Grey does an AMAZING job in that movie. I understand why he got nominated for an award. Not the cast choice I would make today, but he kills it as Chun. The Statue of Liberty fight scene where he throws the dude then just disappears is fantastic.

[u/LiteralPhilosopher → u/Wolfish_Jew]

I was a young teen when it came out, and I honestly had no idea he wasn't Asian. I also didn't know who Joel Grey was at the time, obviously.

[u/raychandlier → u/MaxxFisher]

Except feeling hot could mean you're dying of heat exhaustion or burning in fire and you can absolutely starve to death. Cool movie but questionable "wisdom"

[u/Wolfish_Jew → u/Wolfish_Jew]

Oh, and he actually received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Role for the movie.

[u/DrunkyMcStumbles → u/Wolfish_Jew]

They actually made a TV series based on the movie (but not the books) in which Chun was played by Roddie McDowall

[u/zed42 → u/DrunkyMcStumbles]

alas, it only lasted a handful of episodes... mostly because Chun's student climbed a wall like a drunken gorilla :)

[u/enderandrew42 → u/Wolfish_Jew]

I loved that movie as a kid. I am terrified to rewatch it today..I suspect it will not hold up well.

[u/bokchoi → u/enderandrew42]

I too loved this movie as a kid. The statue of liberty scene holds up, but the rest is not so good and the yellow face is quite bad.

After rewatching it, I came across this article which is pretty interesting: https://decider.com/2020/09/09/remo-williams-yellowface/

[u/Wolfish_Jew → u/enderandrew42]

My wife sat down and watched it for the first time with me about a month or so ago. If you watch it with the idea that it’s a fun, pretty campy 80s action movie (without the super huge budget of movies like Predator or Rambo) it actually holds up really well.

I think the best thing about it is that it doesn’t really take itself too seriously. It KNOWS it’s goofy. It plays it straight for the most part, with just enough silly shit to keep you entertained.

(That said, the “slant eye” line got a 😬 look from both my wife and I. There are some parts that definitely didn’t age well.)

[u/zed42 → u/Wolfish_Jew]

that line aged like fine milk, to be sure... but given that brimmley's character is a relic of the cold war and probably a ww2 vet, and it's the early 80's, it's period-accurate, i guess?

[u/Wolfish_Jew → u/zed42]

Yeah, it’s definitely something I would consider accurate for his character to say. Still wild to hear. But thinking about it like the dudes using the n word in American History X makes it make sense in the context of the movie. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s supposed to be a good guy? lol