Casting What-Ifs
Dustin Hoffman as Charlie with Bill Murray as Raymond; Martin Brest, Steven Spielberg or Sydney Pollack as director; J.T. Walsh as the psychiatrist
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:38Read transcript
- Michael Ovitz sent Hoffman the script thinking Hoffman would play the Cruise part; Hoffman preferred the other role. — Bill Simmons
- CAA wanted Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray, with Hoffman as Charlie; Murray went on to make What About Bob, called a similar but different-toned lane that suited him better. — Bill Simmons
- CAA agent Paula Wagner, later Cruise's producing partner, suggested making Charlie the younger brother to get Tom Cruise in, raising objections that the two could never be brothers given the age gap. — Bill Simmons
- Martin Bress, Spielberg and Sydney Pollack all circled the film; Pollack and Hoffman legendarily despised each other on Tootsie, but Pollack got Levinson to read it. — Bill Simmons
- Levinson acts in the film because J.T. Walsh was supposed to play the psychiatrist but had a conflict. — Bill Simmons
- Jokes follow about Walsh playing the part as Markinson or as Happy Kikindale from Blue Chips. — Bill Simmons