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- Episodes featuring their films
- 1
- Movies in this archive
- 2
Rewatchables episodes featuring Sidney Poitier’s films
Displaying 1 episode
Mentioned in discussions
Recasting Couch
Josh: Norton or Hamilton; Jimmy: Affleck or Damon; Lee, Hauser, Casey Affleck and Sean Astin considered; star-casting jokes
In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:42Read transcript
- Affleck is considered for Josh but may be too conventionally handsome; his Mallrats persona is closer to Des. — Sean Fennessey
- Norton is endorsed for Josh. — Sean Fennessey
- Jason Lee is considered closer to the Eigeman role. — Bill Simmons
- Affleck is preferred over Mackenzie Astin despite praise for the existing performance. — Sean Fennessey
- Damon is another proposal for the Astin role.
- Tom Hanks is a joking escalation of the star-heavy casting suggestions.
- Denzel Washington is another joking escalation.
- Cole Hauser is considered too gritty for the part.
- Casey Affleck is proposed then dismissed as too young; the stated age is a conversational estimate.
- Sean Astin is another suggestion.
- Josh Hamilton is endorsed over Keeslar for empathy and a reunion with Eigeman.
- Washington replacing Keeslar is a joking counterproposal.
- Newman’s availability is jokingly raised.
- Sidney Poitier as Josh continues the star-casting joke.
- Denzel Washington in the Mackenzie Astin role continues the star-casting joke.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:37Read transcript
- Winger’s missed roles are treated as casting what-ifs of their own. — Wesley Morris
- The groom’s role was reportedly first offered to Paul Thomas Anderson, undermining a Sidney Poitier naming theory. — Bill Simmons
- He reportedly declined because he was in post-production on There Will Be Blood. — Wesley Morris
- Casting him would have changed the film in many ways, including losing the wedding song. — Wesley Morris
Casting What-Ifs
Vanessa Williams as Lisa McDowell; Sidney Poitier as King Jaffe Joffer; Paul Gleason as Clarence Beeks
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:54Read transcript
- Vanessa Williams was originally considered for Lisa McDowell; her first album came out that year and she was staggeringly beautiful.
- The most desired woman is the lightest-skinned woman in the movie, an eternal problem; casting Williams would make that scream louder. — Wesley Morris
- Shari Headley sounds like she is from New York, and her sweetness makes her falling for a janitor believable. — Bill Simmons
- Sidney Poitier was originally sought for King Jaffe Joffer and turned it down, doing Shoot to Kill instead; he would have pushed the movie up a level, though James Earl Jones is regal.
- Paul Gleason was asked to reprise Clarence Beeks from Trading Places in the Duke brothers scene but was filming Die Hard. — Bill Simmons
Casting What-Ifs
Tupac Shakur as Malik
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:34Read transcript
- Tupac Shakur was cast as Malik before a jail sentence forced a last-minute replacement. — Bill Simmons
- His screen presence is argued to have added anger, intensity, and different chemistry throughout Malik's story.
- Leonardo DiCaprio is discussed as a rumored Remy candidate, with conflicting explanations for why it did not happen. — Bill Simmons
- Vivica A. Fox was considered for the Deja role and is preferred to the final casting.
- Gwyneth Paltrow and Juliette Lewis are reported as early possibilities for the Kristen and Taryn roles. — Wesley Morris
- Sidney Poitier was the first choice for Professor Phipps, followed by Dustin Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson before the studio chose Laurence Fishburne. — Bill Simmons
- Michael Rapaport playing Scott Moss is rejected because the performance would not support the character's authority. — Bill Simmons
Displaying all 4 discussions
