John Goodman and Steve Buscemi’s roles were written for them, while Jeffrey Lebowski drew the casting search.
Marlon Brando was reportedly the Coens’ dream choice, but his improvisational production style could have disrupted the tightly scripted film.
Robert Duvall reportedly disliked the script, Anthony Hopkins did not want to play an American, and Gene Hackman was taking an acting break.
A second list reportedly included Norman Mailer, George C. Scott, Jerry Falwell, Gore Vidal, Andy Griffith, William F. Buckley, and Ernest Borgnine.
The panel concludes that Huddleston was the right landing point.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covers Bunny’s Fargo-linked original surname, real-life composites for Walter and the Dude, and deleted backstories that would radically alter both leads.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:42:25Read transcript

The original script reportedly named Bunny/Fawn “Gunderson,” suggesting a connection to Fargo’s Marge Gunderson.
Walter is partly based on John Milius, while Peter Exline, Jeff Dowd, Jeff Bridges, and Bridges’s acquaintances contributed to the Dude composite.
Deleted or script-only material reportedly gave the Dude a Rubik’s Cube-related trust fund and revealed that Walter never served in Vietnam.

Picking Nits

The landlord/dance-recital thread may be extraneous, the Busby Berkeley dream sequences are skippable for some, and the sudden ending initially denies narrative closure.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:58:54Read transcript

The Dude’s landlord is an extra thread, though “give me notes” and the recital setting justify his presence.
The long dream sequences are treated as referential acid-flashback material that some viewers skip.
The film ends before first-time viewers understand the fate of the MacGuffins, Bunny, or the Dude’s possible child, though the lack of closure improves with familiarity.