10 Roles Marlon Brando Turned Down

Hollywood is a brutal industry where major gigs are hard to come by. Consequently, most actors are happy to take whatever blockbuster role they are offered. After all, declining a role might mean missing out on big bucks and a great opportunity for career advancement. Still, not every star can relate to this challenge. As others scramble to sign contracts, some coveted actors remain picky.

Actors reject roles for different reasons. Most A-listers want a perfect resume, so they turn down roles they believe aren’t suited to their strengths. Salary and the lack of time are also factors.

At the height of his career, Marlon Brando turned down several roles, leaving fans fantasizing about how things would have turned out if he had signed up. In some instances, he was right to decline the job, and in others, he would have been better off showing up on set.

10 Randall P. McMurphy

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Criminal Randall P. McMurphy is arguably Jack Nicholson’s greatest-ever role. The One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest character is eager to avoid hard labor and forced same-sex romance, so he pretends to be insane in order to get locked up in a mental institution instead of a correctional facility. He believes he will do nothing but sip milk and sleep all day, only for him to encounter a bigger nightmare in the form of the overbearing Nurse Rached.

Nicholson Was Last in the Pecking Order

The role won Nicholson a Best Actor Oscar and catapulted him to A-list status. Interestingly, he was the last pick for the job. According to the New York Times, Marlon Brando, Kirk Douglas, James Caan, Gene Hackman, and Burt Reynolds, were ahead of him in the director’s preference list, but they all chose to pursue other projects.

As an actor used to playing rebellious characters, Brando could have perfectly conveyed McMurphy’s mannerisms as he fought against Nurse Rached’s oppressive policies. It’s highly likely that he would have received another Oscar, but he presumably had no regrets over his decision. A year later, Nicholson would star with Brando in Arthur Penn’s western, The Missouri Breaks.

9 T.E. Lawrence

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Lawrence of Arabia feels as fresh now as it was when it was first released, and it’s hard to imagine the movie without Peter O’Toole in the lead role. He plays T. E. Lawrence, a WWI British Army lieutenant, sent to assess Prince Faisal’s prospects against the Turks. Instead of sticking to the instructions, he assigns himself extra responsibilities and becomes the most influential person in the conflict.

Geographically-Inspired Reasons

Adrian Turner’s book, The Making of David Lean’sLawrence of Arabia, notes that Alec Guinness and Anthony Perkins were both considered for the role, but producer Sam Spiegel settled on Brando. He even held a press conference to announce the casting choice, only for Brando to opt for Mutiny on the Bounty.

It was a poor choice for the actor since the movie was met with mixed reviews. Lawrence of Arabia, on the other hand, was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, with O’Toole getting nominated for Best Actor.

When explaining why he turned down the role, Brando revealed he wanted to tick an item off his bucket list. In his memoir, he claims that he chose Bounty because it was filming in Tahiti, a location that had fascinated him for years. To him, this was preferable to spending six months in the desert.

8 Mr. X

JFK (1991)

Described as America’s most dangerous movie, JFK rides on the theory that there was a government conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy, and that Lee Harvey Oswald was merely a scapegoat. One of the standout characters is a shadowy figure named Mr. X, played by Donald Sutherland. Mr. X believes a small group of people are puppeteering the world’s key institutions, and determining who gets to be president.

Stone Believes He Got the Better Actor

Director Oliver Stone told Truthout that he first approached Brando for the role, before settling on Sutherland. He was eventually happy that Brando said no as “he would have made that dialogue fifteen times longer.” Stone was referring to the actor’s tendency to improvise heavily while giving monologues, in order to give a stronger performance.

To the filmmaker, JFK, like most conspiracy thrillers, needed to move at a first pace, so The Godfather alum wouldn’t have been a perfect pick. Still, Brando fans might argue that he would have done a better job. Despite the film being nominated for numerous awards, no organization deemed Sutherland’s performance worthy enough for recognition.

7 Vulcan

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen begins with the premiere of a theater production about the extraordinary heroics of famed German aristocrat Baron Münchhausen. As audiences watch the play, a man emerges claiming he is the real Baron and that the film is inaccurate. Soon, a Turkish army attacks and Baron steps up to defend the city. This triggers a string of adventures, and at one point he finds himself in the lair of the Roman God, Vulcan, whose wife he tries to seduce.

A Memorable Meeting

Played by Oliver Reed, Vulcan was a role initially preserved for Brando. According to Rolling Stone, director Terry Gilliam tried to get the popular actor in the picture, but he wasn’t interested. Instead of focusing on the discussion at hand, Brando told Gilliam tales of how he tried to seduce actress Sophia Loren while filming A Countess from Hong Kong. He then said no.

This time, the actor made a wise choice as the movie was marred with production challenges and failed to break even at the box office. Furthermore, Vulcan was a goofy character in the movie, yet Brando was used to playing intelligent or intimidating characters.

6 Chief Old Lodge Skins

Little Big Man (1970)

Little Big Man’s plot unfolds in a flashback format. 121-year-old Jack Crabb tells his story to a historian, revealing how his parents were massacred by the Pawnee when he was 10. He was then taken in by the Cheyenne, and raised by the compassionate tribal leader, Old Lodge Skins. Chief Dan George, an actual chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, portrays the character.

Brando’s Love for Native Americans

As difficult as Brando was to work with, he won many hearts by fighting for human rights. He famously declined his Oscar for The Godfather, citing Hollywood’s poor treatment of Native Indians, and when he could, he did something to change the situation.

Brando was the studio’s pick to play Chief Old Lodge Skins in Little Big Man (in line with Hollywood’s tendency to cast white actors in non-white roles), but he rejected the offer, insisting the role should be reserved for a Native Indian. Chief Dan George thus took over, and despite his lack of acting experience, he gave such a good performance that he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

5 Lewis Medlock

Deliverance (1972)

Based on James Dickey’s novel of the same name, Deliverance sees four married city friends—Lewis Medlock, Bobby Trippe, Ed Gentry, and Drew Ballinger—take a break from everyday life to go canoeing in picturesque rural Georgia. Sadly, the trip does not go as planned. The locals become hostile towards them, leaving them in a dangerous fight for survival.

Pay Issues

It’s hard not to imagine this what-if casting, since Lewis is the egocentric and amoral kind of character that would bring out the best of Brando’s strengths. Still, Brando’s absence didn’t leave such a huge void. The role went to an equally great character, Burt Reynolds.

According to Vanity Fair, Brando wanted more money than he was making and the studio didn’t want to hear any of it. “I’d be laughed out of this town if I paid half a million for Brando,” studio head Ted Ashley was quoted.

4 John ‘Joker’ Jackson

The Defiant Ones (1958)

Set at the height of racial tensions in America, The Defiant Ones follows the fugitive adventures of black inmate Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) and white inmate John “Joker” Jackson (Tony Curtis) after they escape following an accident involving the prison truck that was transporting them. The two are chained together, and despite their hatred for each other, they are forced to cooperate in order to survive.

Kramer’s Quest to Get Portier

Brando might have been the more popular actor, but director Stanley Kramer craved Sydney Poitier’s services more. According to the American Film Institute, Potier wasn’t immediately available. However, Kramer was willing to delay production for months. This caused Brando to abandon the project because its production would have messed up his schedule.

As an actor who fought against racism and even marched for desegregation, Brando would have been proud to have The Defiant Ones in his resume. Besides, both Poitier and Curtis got a Best Actor nomination, so Brando missed the chance for Oscar glory.

3 Will Kane

High Noon (1952)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest westerns of all time because of its revisionist themes and real-time format, High Noon follows Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) as he tries to solve a major problem that has interrupted his honeymoon plans.

As the lawman is looking forward to laying in bed all day and whispering sweet nothings to his bride’s ear, he learns that an outlaw he once cuffed is being released, and will arrive at noon via train. He considers fleeing but decides to sit back and fight, much to the dismay of his wife.

A Missed Opportunity to Become a Western Legend

As decorated as Brando’s career is, he never had a perfect lead role in a Western. This would have been his opportunity to become a legend in the genre, but he missed it. Still, he is Don Corleone, and that’s good enough.

Western legend, John Wayne, was the top candidate for the job, but he opted out, believing that the film was an allegory for The Hollywood Blacklist, which he supported. According to Vanity Fair, the producers then considered hiring younger actors like Brando, Charlton Heston, and Montgomery Cliff to save on funds. Regrettably, none of them was willing to take on the role.

2 John Norman Howard

A Star is Born (1976)

The original version of A Star is Born revolves around the romance between Esther (Barbra Streisand) an up-and-coming singer, and John (Kris Kristofferson) a world-famous rock and roll singer. Soon, their career projections take opposite routes. Esther becomes a popular singer, while John starts losing relevance because of his alcoholism and general hedonism.

Brando Would Have Been the Best Pick

USA Today revealed that Brando and Elvis Presley were courted for the role of John. Presley was the front-runner because of his musical background, but he demanded too much money. Brando too, wanted a great paycheck because of the international fame he had acquired after The Godfather. Both actors were eventually rejected in favor of Kris.

Brando mustn’t have felt bad about missing out because the movie was critically panned. Unlike the remake starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, which received several awards, the original was labeled dull and uninspiring. The musical needed Brando, as he was the most talented actor out of the three picks. It sure was a missed opportunity for the directors, but fans are unlikely to feel bad about it since they still got to see a much better version of the story.

1 Harry R. Caul

The Conversation (1974)

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation follows surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) as he tails a young couple at the request of a mysterious client and his aid. He soon grows paranoid, believing that the people who hired him to track the couple might be out to harm them. This, coupled with his Catholic faith and trauma from a past case, forces him to take action.

Too Basic for Brando

Coppola must have enjoyed working with Brando after The Godfather. He courted him twice after the success of the mob film, but it wouldn’t be until years later that he got his signature for Apocalypse Now. Coppola tried getting Brando to play Harry Caul, but couldn’t do it. Far Out Magazine reveals that Brando was direct in his response to the filmmaker, “I think it’s very good. It’s not for me.”

The Conversation had Godfather alums like John Cazale and Robert Duvall, so Brando would have felt right at home. Still, he didn’t feel compelled to join the cast, given his resume. Thankfully, Hackman did a better job and had the time of life, describing the film as “the best I’ve made in my career.”