Raul Julia

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. Malcolm McDowell, Voyage of the Damned, 1975.  In a Nazi propaganda exercise – “Nobody loves Jews – so leave them to us”- Germany ships Jews to Havana, in the full knowledge that Cuba won’t accept them. Nor will any other nation. They return home, by which time WWII has begun, and of the 937 passengers, more than 600 die in concentration camps!  ThIs is no retread of Katharine Anne Porter’s Ship of Fools, although similar and both featuring José Ferrer and Oskar Werner (in his final film here). No, this is a terrible true story, stuffed with stars, too many to deal with. Denholm Elliott has one scene, Orson Welles, four; luckier than the jettisoned Janet Suzman and Jack Warden.  A good guy this once, Malcolm McDowell was among the crew instead of (take a breath)… fellow Brits Jon Finch, Anthony Hopkins, Simon MacCorkindale, Ian McShane, John Moulder-Brown. Martin Potter and Hollywood’s Keith Carradine, Jeff Conaway, Raul Julia, Martin Kove, Joe Mantegna, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, John Ritter, John Travolta, Jon Voight.  
  2. Harrison Ford, Blade Runner, 1981.  Angelina Jolie, Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, 2000.For the girls, Lara Croft is their James Bond.  Well, more of a sexy Indiana Jones.  And 21 hopefuls wanted to bringther sassy, video-game adventurer to life. Demi More was, perhaps, the most keen, but who was simply disregarded. Christina Applegate, Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, Nicole Eggert, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kate Hudson, Elizabeth Hurley, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lopez, Gwneth Paltrow, Anna Nicole Smith (a joke, surely), Catherine Zeta-Jones were considered. Fairuza Balk, Natalie Cassidy, Kirsten Dunst and Milla Jovovich auditioned while Denise Richards, Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman and Liv Tyler simply refused. And Lara’s guy (who fled the sequel) was Daniel Craig – complete with a Walther PPK pistolthat he would use again as 007 in Casino Royale, 2005.
  3. William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman,1985.   Originally, Hurt was the political prisoner and Raul Julia was the gay hairdresser Molina (replacing Burt Lancaster). Nothing worked in rehearsals until they switched roles as an  experiment and that made them glow. Hurt got an Oscar and probably still wonders why.
  4. Alfred Molina, The Perez Family, 1995.  “The really great role was Juan,” commented Molina on being seen for Angel, the brother-in-law.  Mira Nair saw the stars – Julia, Al Pacino, Andy Garcia – and sent for Molina. Again.
  5. Joaquim de Almeida, Desperado, 1995.   Raul’s fatal stroke meant Robert Rodriguez’s $7million sequel to his $7,000 El Mariachi  proved a second LA break for the Portuguese actor unveiled opposite Harrison Ford in Clear and Present Danger, 1994.  
  6. Anthony Hopkins, The Mask of Zorro, 1997.     Tragically, Julia died before shooting began. Hopkins then refused to become Don Diego de la Vega in his place. Idem for Sean Connery.  Then, Hopkins changed his mind after a laser treatment on his bad back.

 Birth year: 1940Death year: 1994Other name: Casting Calls:  6