Spaghetti Westerns where characters were originally meant to be played by someone else

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I got very curious. Let’s see how these films look like in an alternate universe :joy:

God Forgives… I Don’t! : Peter Martell was the original Cat Stevens, but broke his leg and was replaced by Terence Hill.

Corbucci’s Django: Mark Damon was supposed to play Django but due to schedule problems, he had to give up the role and Franco Nero was cast.

Dollar’s Trilogy: The role of Man with No Name was offered to quite many people before Clint was cast. Let’s make a list. Two names that I’ve heard are Richard Harrison and Tony Russel

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Hey there @I_love_Cat_Stevens, there’s quite a lot of casting differences that would surprise you

Charles Bronson and James Coburn were both offered Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name; Bronson said the story made no sense to him and he turned it down. James Coburn was interested, but he balked at the $15,000 paycheck, and his own asking fee was too high, so he turned it down.

Since Leone tended to fabricate and stretch the truth quite often, a slew of names were reported to have been offered the part, including Eastwood’s Rawhide costar Eric Fleming. Richard Harrison has said in numerous interviews he was indeed offered the part and had also indeed recommended Clint.

Frank Wolff was the original choice for Ramon Rojo in a Fistful of Dollars and was interested, but he bowed out when he and Leone clashed over each other’s interpretation of the character. Giorgio "George " Ardisson was also offered the role of Ramon, but either he was too busy, or felt the part was beneath him at the time. That he said he regretted that decision not long before his passing could confirm either.

Clint Eastwood and James Coburn were both in consideration for the role of Harmonica in Once Upon a Time in the West, but Eastwood didn’t have time as he had other projects going, and I’m guessing Coburn thought the price tag too low again. Ironically, Eastwood wanted Leone to direct Hang 'Em High, but Leone was busy with Once Upon a Time in the West.

Charles Bronson was offered the role of Angel Eyes in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but again the script didn’t make any sense to him and he turned it down. Gian Maria Volonte was an early candidate for the role of Tuco, but he and Leone clashed so much on the previous films he automatically turned it down.

Eli Wallach was originally set to play Juan Miranda in Duck You Sucker, but the other producers insisted on Rod Steiger. Leone had to veto Wallach’s contract, and the two stopped speaking to each other. In pre production of the film, Jason Robards and Malcolm McDowell were in the running for the John Mallory character before James Coburn finally thought the price tag right to work with Leone.

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Crazy how many unique, irreplaceable actors, who are big part of what makes these films special, weren’t the original or preferred choice for their roles. Lee Van Cleef wasn’t the first choice for FFDM either I believe, but I just can’t seen anyone else playing the role. Same as Eastwood. They were perfect. Perhaps the low budget of these films and the unwillingness of big American actors to take part in Italian productions was a stroke of luck.

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Fascinating info, much new to me. I had no idea Clint wanted Sergio for HANG ‘em. Too bad it didn’t happen.

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Kinski was supposed to be in Stranger Returns. That would have been cool.

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I read on the IMDb, and I think there was info here on the SWDb on it that Kinski was hired and they started rehearsing scenes, and a horse ended up falling on top of him. Kinski’s leg broke and they had to recast the role.

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Corbucci wanted Lee Van Cleef for “Hud” in Gli Specialist, why it didn’t happen - I don’t know.

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In addition, Kinski’s broken leg had to be extensively re-cast…

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From what I remember reading, the basic storyline of Gli Specialisti was Van Cleef’s idea and had pitched it to every filmmaker working in the SW genre, and Corbucci was one of the guys he talked to about it. At some point Van Cleef forgot about his own idea and Corbucci did like the concept and ended up rolling with it.

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:rofl: !

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Can you picture Volante as Tuco? The mind boggles. Less comedy, more angst. Leone also wanted Lee Marvin or Robert Ryan as Mortimer in FFDM. I suppose Ryan’s performance in A MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE gives some indication of how Ryan would have shaped the role.

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It’s not hard to imagine what Lee Marvin and Robert Ryan would have been like as Mortimer, they are fairly generic “pretty boy” actors. They would have been crap and Mortimer would have been a more generic, conventionally good looking character. LVC was an integral part of the character imo, FFDM wouldn’t be half as good without him and his distinct, solely unique facial features and powerful voice.

Edit: In hindsight pretty boy wasn’t the right word in this context, very poor choice of words on my part, what I meant was that they were actors often chosen for roles/cast based on their conventionally attractive appearance rather than merit, to attract both women who are into the actor and men who identify with him. Similar to certain modern actors like di caprio or a daniel craig, where “pretty boy” would be a more accurate description. I guess it doesn’t fit older actors as much as back then what was considered to be an attractive man was much more masculine than in modern times, so it’s a less accurate description.

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Pretty Boys … ! LOL WTF are you wittering about now (that’s rhetorical )

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Those actors were 100% cast in their films because of their conventionally attractive appearance lol, nothing more

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They are the definition of what conventionally attractive men were in their era, and their acting skills are not very good, especially lee marvin, boring AF actors that only got roles because of their attractiveness.

There are actors who were originally cast in roles because of their good looks but later proved themselves as worthy actors - Henry Fonda, Matthew McConaughey etc. …these are not one of those.

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Lee Marvin and Robert Ryan are “not very good”!?!? I’ll have what you’re smoking :joy:

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A heavy amount of reality, without the nostalgia :wink:

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In most well-known films featuring an actor’s iconic performance, that actor was almost always not the original choice for the role.

Non spaghetti examples:

Dirty Harry was originally a Frank Sinatra vehicle (and several others were then touted before Eastwood)
Raiders of the Lost Ark was to star Tom Selleck
Casablanca was to star Ronald Reagan
Warren Beatty was first choice for Michael Corleone.
Loads of others before Sean Connery as Bond

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Lee Marvin a pretty boy?
Now that’s very, very far stretched, there was a reason that he mainly played rough and tough baddies for a long time, and I never viewed Ryan as one either. Both were imo, and especially Ryan, more talented actors than LvC (or the Clint), but even viewed as “pretty boys”, I have no idea how the Colonel could then have become “a more conventional role”.
What Ryan did in The Set Up, The Naked Spur, Day of the Outlaw, Billy Budd, The Wild Bunch and many others goes far beyond what LvC was able too in his best moments.

Hmm, and actually Colonel Mortimer is for a SW a comparatively “normal” character.

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Lee Marvin and Robert Ryan?

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Rough, tough, rugged, weather-worn…yes to all of those.

But, I never regarded them as ‘pretty boys’.

They were dependable, good, solid, resiliant actors, who gave amazing performances in every role that they inhabited.
You always believed wholeheartedly in the characters they played, because I they each brought a phenomenal amount of life’s experiences to their roles, and personal integrity often shone through because of this.

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If Marvin and Ryan were ‘pretty’ anything, they were always ‘pretty damn good’ on screen…

As for either of them portraying Colonel Douglas Mortimer in ‘For a Few Dollars More’…?
It wasn’t meant to be… but, Quien Sabe?

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Rough, tough, rugged, weather-worn was exactly what women found attractive and what men identified with. Outside of small side roles, he was clean shaven and dressed smart too… My point was that Lee Marvin was someone who was as mundane and generic as an actor can be… He could be replaced by most other actors from his era and most people wouldnt care. Theres nothing that makes him special or unique. LVC on the other hand OWNED his character, no one could play LVC other than LVC, same goes for actors like bronson and Yul Brynner, and obviously clint Eastwood. Because they are unique and irreplaceable. Marvin on the other hand is as replaceable as you can get. Most actors of the 40s and 50s in general were not very good, and very replaceable.

How?

What Ryan did in The Set Up, The Naked Spur, Day of the Outlaw, Billy Budd, The Wild Bunch and many others goes far beyond what LvC was able too in his best moments.

I couldn’t disagree more. LVC is much more unique and special actor, perhaps not for his acting skills but he had the advantage of having his iconic face and voice. Ryan has neither the iconic face/voice nor any special acting skills.