A Katharine Graham role was considered and removed before filming; the transcript is uncertain which actress was attached
Richard Widmark, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Gene Hackman, Burt Lancaster, Robert Stack, Robert Mitchum, and Telly Savalas are reported as possible Deep Throat choices with explicit source uncertainty
Robert Redford reportedly first considered Al Pacino before choosing Dustin Hoffman

Screenplay dispute, invented Florida scene, Robards background presence, overlapping lines, and Redford handedness

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 00:59:13Read transcript

Goldman reported that Bernstein and Nora Ephron secretly drafted an alternate screenplay that elevated Bernstein and contained inaccuracies
The Florida office sequence is described as the only wholly invented scene retained from that draft
William Goldman skipped his Butch Cassidy Oscar ceremony for a Knicks game
Jason Robards reportedly stayed in Bradlee’s office on non-shooting days so his character remained visible in the newsroom background
Redford and Hoffman reportedly memorized each other’s dialogue to overlap naturally
Left-handed Redford performs close-up writing and dialing right-handed
Redford and Hoffman split billing, with Redford leading marketing and Hoffman leading the film credits

The count-to-ten confirmation and invented Florida-office trick

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:10:21Read transcript

The count-to-ten phone confirmation is criticized as overcomplicated and overly cute for the film
The invented Florida-office deception is criticized as inconsistent with the reporters’ methods elsewhere

New York Times omission, Deep Throat identity, and modern political sabotage

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:12:30Read transcript

The film is criticized for minimizing the New York Times’s competing Watergate reporting
Whether life would be more fun if Deep Throat remained unidentified receives agreement, though disclosure is defended as helping Mark Felt’s family
Revealing Felt is said to rebut suspicions that Woodward invented or combined Deep Throat
Whether Watergate tactics supplied a blueprint for later Russian election interference is debated

Mentions across The Rewatchables

Double Feature

The Rewatchables · aired January 26, 2026

Dirty Harry is the strongest pairing, with All the President’s Men also proposed.

Approx. transcript time · 02:41:21Read transcript