Hollywood can be a capricious place, so there’s truly no shortage of stories about actors whose starring roles changed seemingly on a whim. For every time a casting idea works out, there are dozens of “what-ifs,” like when Val Kilmer almost had the role of Morpheus in “The Matrix” before Laurence Fishburne came along. When it came to the now-classic 1973 comedy caper “The Sting,” however, there were a whole bunch of potential big name stars up for roles, and they all almost exclusively turned down the film. Since “The Sting” went on to win seven Academy Awards and has become quite beloved over the years, those actors who turned down roles might have some regrets about it… unless they happen to be Jack Nicholson.
Before he terrified us all playing Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” or showed us how chilling a comic book villain can be as the Joker in Tim Burton’s “Batman,” Nicholson was still working his way up the Hollywood ladder, appearing in bit parts in TV shows before graduating to movies. According to a 50th anniversary retrospective on “The Sting” by The Telegraph, Nicholson was offered the leading role of con artist Johnny Hooker but turned it down, choosing to tackle the lead part in Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” instead.
While “Chinatown” had its own struggles getting made, it was nominated for numerous Academy Awards of its own (and won one, for Best Original Screenplay) and has similarly been established as one of the all-time greats. Nicholson’s decision to do “Chinatown” was actually a blessing for actor Robert Redford, although he didn’t quite realize it at the time.
With Nicholson out, Robert Redford was the perfect Johnny Hooker
According to The Telegraph, Nicholson had more faith in “The Sting” than many others involved in the production, but he was more interested in other projects. He explained:
“I had enough business acumen to know ‘The Sting’ was going to be a huge hit, [but] at the same time ‘Chinatown’ and ‘The Last Detail’ were more interesting films to me.”
“Chinatown” would end up being a pretty big deal for Nicholson, and “The Last Detail,” written by the same phenomenal screenwriter, Robert Towne, came out six months earlier. So it’s understandable that maybe those films felt more tonally in-line with his career. Since he would go on to star in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” shortly thereafter, there’s a pretty clear trajectory of tragic characters. Meanwhile, Johnny Hooker in “The Sting” is more of a Danny Ocean type schmoozer than a tragic hero or antihero, and that just didn’t appeal to Nicholson.
What’s interesting is that Redford, who eventually took the role, had also initially turned it down. “The Sting” writer and creator David Schad Ward had written the character with Redford in mind, but the actor apparently wasn’t interested. After both Nicholson and Warren Beatty turned it down, however, Redford had another look and took one of his best roles — one that would rocket him from major celebrity to true super-stardom.
The Sting showed Redford’s real range
Prior to starring in “The Sting,” Redford was better known for playing the second half of the titular duo in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and mountaineer Jeremiah Johnson in the film of the same name, but as Johnny Hooker, he was able to show off a kind of effortless cool that immediately escalated his stardom (and heartthrob status) even higher.
It’s honestly wild that initially Redford turned down the role, because his co-star Paul Newman also went through some interesting casting challenges before ending up in the role of Hooker’s old friend and fellow con-man Henry Gondorff, and they’re both absolutely pitch-perfect in the roles. Newman plays Gondorff as slightly untrustworthy, like someone who might just stab an old friend in the back, while Redford is almost impossibly charming as Hooker. It’s the same kind of energy that stars would emulate in later capers, like Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s 11” remake, and it’s a darn shame the duo didn’t get to do more onscreen together.
It’s pretty tough to imagine Jack Nicholson portraying the smooth-talking charmer at the center of “The Sting” with the same panache as Redford, and it’s also kind of tricky to picture Redford in the gritty neo-noir of “Chinatown,” so it seems like the actors and casting directors were right on the money for these 1970s films.
