Casting What-Ifs
Val Kilmer; Al Pacino as Ramsey; Brad Pitt as Hunter; Warren Beatty; Tommy Lee Jones as Ramsey; Tom Cruise as Hunter
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:59Read transcript
- The hosts say Simpson and Bruckheimer offered Val Kilmer a headlining role, which he declined and later regretted; the role was never specified.
- Guesses for the Kilmer role are Viggo's part or Hunter, possibly turned down for not being big enough; he could have played every part except Hackman's.
- Al Pacino was originally offered Captain Ramsey and would have dialed it up to 90 in his Vincent Hanna zone.
- Brad Pitt wanted to play Hunter when Pacino might be Ramsey, then passed when Pacino dropped out.
- Warren Beatty was courted, another case of Beatty flirting with a part for a year before declining, as with the Burt Reynolds part in Boogie Nights, which is called the bigger miss; he would not have fit this movie.
- Tommy Lee Jones passed on the Hackman part; he would have worked, having done something similar in Under Siege.
- Per a Don Simpson interview at Santa Anita, Pitt and Tom Cruise were considered for Denzel's part; Cruise was the first call for such parts for a decade, but it worked out perfectly.