Casting What-Ifs
Robert Redford as Calvin; Gene Hackman as Calvin; Richard Dreyfuss as Dr. Berger; Natalie Wood as Beth
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:51Read transcript
- The studio wanted Redford to play Calvin; he declined as too predictable, and the hosts think he would have overpowered or sunk the film.
- Hackman as Calvin is intriguing, recalling his surprising turn in The Firm.
- The EW oral history links Hackman to both the Berger and Calvin parts; research indicates it was the Sutherland part.
- Per Redford, he wanted Richard Dreyfuss as the psychiatrist, but the reply was that Dreyfuss was having a nervous breakdown; Sutherland then said he wanted the husband rather than the psychiatrist.
- Hackman was cast as Calvin but dropped out over compensation, per a Chicago Tribune article; Sutherland was told it was him or Hackman.
- Elizabeth McGovern got special permission from Juilliard to be in the film.
- Per Redford, he found Judd Hirsch on Taxi, which the hosts note was a top show, and saw Mary Tyler Moore alone on a Malibu beach, a story half believed.
- Natalie Wood reportedly wanted to play the mother and had worked with Redford in the 60s; they never spoke again after Mary Tyler Moore was cast.