-
Leonard Whiting, Romeo and Juliet, UK-Italy, 1967. The first version where the stars were close to the ages of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers. Leonard Whiting and Olivia were 15 and 17. At MGM, circa 1935, Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer were, ridiculously, 43 and 35! Italian director Franco Zeffirelli saw 14 Juliets but only eight possible Romeos from Hollywood’s Jeff Bridges, Richard Dreyfuss, Tim Matheson, Kurt Russell and the two eldest Osmond brothers, Alan and Wayne … to UK singers Phil Collins and Paul McCartney – Lulu had been in the Juliet mix.
-
Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1980.
- Cameron Doyle, Joy of Sex, 1983. Production was halted following the ODeath of John Belushi. By the time Paramount put the film back on track, the script had changed (not they worried about scripts or stars, the title of Alex Comfort’s best-selling sex manual was the star) and Tim auditioned for Alan Holt. And lost it. Too smooth?
- Gerrit Graham, Child’s Play 2, 1990. In the mix (with Charles Grodin, Jeffrey Jones) to be the husband of Grace Zabriskie in the killer-doll sequel.
- Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, TV, 1999-2013. “There’s no doubt who we should choose – Hargitay and Meloni,” said iconic producer Dick Wolf. They’d always been his favourites – “perfect chemistry!” – of the final group of three girls and four guys. Christopher and Mariska lasted 315 episodes (finally earning $400,000 a pop) as Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson – named after Wolf’s children. Meloni returned to the Wolf fold in the 202l spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5