Gene Hackman co-owned the rights and planned to direct and possibly play Jack Crawford before backing out; Sean Connery and Jeremy Irons turned down Lecter; Ed Harris turned down Crawford because he wanted Lecter; Michelle Pfeiffer, the first choice for Clarice, and Meg Ryan turned it down; Redford, Hoffman and Robert Duvall are mentioned as Lecter possibilities
The book rights were originally bought 50-50 by Mike Medavoy at Orion and Gene Hackman, who was going to direct and maybe star or just play Jack Crawford; one host says Hackman still should have played Crawford, though Scott Glenn is amazing.
Ted Talley (as transcribed) was hired to write what is called one of the great screenplays of the last 30 or 40 years; after the controversial Mississippi Burning, Hackman's daughter told him the film was too violent, he backed out, Orion paid him back his half and brought on Jonathan Demme, who began looking for a Lecter.
Sean Connery reportedly refused outright, calling the role grotesque, and Jeremy Irons would not do it either, possibly because he did not want to play two villains in a row after Reversal of Fortune; the hosts try Connery's voice on the fava beans line and conclude it would not work.
Ed Harris turned down Jack Crawford because he wanted Lecter, which is jokingly called a heat check and a little Dion Waiters of him.
Michelle Pfeiffer, first choice for Clarice, turned it down as too violent after working with Demme on Married to the Mob, and one host thinks that would have been really cool; Meg Ryan also passed at a time she was offered everything, which led to her casting in The Doors.
With Gene Hackman as Lecter the film could have gone badly wrong, the hosts say, and it would now be stuck on a minor cable channel at two in the morning.
Later, during research, the hosts are happy with Scott Glenn as Crawford over Tommy Lee Jones, cannot see Jones as Lecter, are glad Lecter was not Redford, Hoffman or Robert Duvall, and wonder whether Daniel Day Lewis was too early for it.
Amanda gives the win to Hanks for an effortless, likable performance that demonstrates his unique appeal even outside his top dramatic tier. — Juliet Litman
The other ballot says 'I go McRyan' and praises her as winning and charming. — Juliet Litman
Tom Hanks is denied the apex here, although his 1990s streak and the effortlessness of this performance are treated as extraordinary. — Amanda Dobbins
Nora Ephron is also denied a film apex because When Harry Met Sally had greater impact, even though You've Got Mail is one participant's personal peak and most-quoted Ephron film. — Amanda Dobbins
Heartburn receives a side case as an underrated Ephron film with funny performances. — Amanda Dobbins
One participant declares this Meg Ryan's apex because of the drop in her later filmography and how inseparable her performance is from the movie. — Juliet Litman
The other participant gives Meg Ryan's apex to When Harry Met Sally, favoring its diner-ordering performance as less cutesy and more honest. — Amanda Dobbins
Carrie Fisher’s performance in When Harry Met Sally is raised as a final apex-side observation. — Juliet Litman
Meg Ryan's short haircut is called extremely tied to its moment, though the other participant defends how it looks on her. — Amanda Dobbins
The Cafe Lalo setup centers on whether Kathleen is attractive enough for Joe to enter, which the panel says feels superficial and would be written differently now. — Juliet Litman
The panel fears a 2017 version would be extremely weepy instead of funny and sentimental, a combination they struggle to find in newer films. — Amanda Dobbins
The characters' casual bookish life is described as pre-hipster and unusually earnest rather than ironic. — Juliet Litman
The characters' relationship with the Internet is called silly and dated, although it also inspires nostalgia. — Juliet Litman
Frank's job at the Observer now reads differently because the paper's ownership no longer matches the liberal independent-bookstore milieu portrayed in the movie. — Juliet Litman
Kathleen’s clogs are defended as comfortable and newly fashionable, a counterpoint within the aged-worst discussion. — Juliet Litman
A Nora Ephron oral history says the styling brief sought a serious bookstore owner who would not look dowdy. — Juliet Litman
