The Harrison Ford role almost played by Jack Nicholson: “It would have been a much better film”
There can’t have been many times when Jack Nicholson and Harrison Ford were considered for the same role, if only because the pair couldn’t be more different in terms of not only their personas but also the type of performances they’ve become known for.
The former was the wild-eyed and maniacal method man every bit as famous for his off-screen antics as he was for his on-screen endeavours, albeit one who turned up on set every day to reiterate their credentials as one of the best in the business.
The latter, meanwhile, didn’t care in the slightest for the trappings of fame and found almost all of his greatest successes in playing straight-laced, square-jawed, and stoic heroes. It’s as difficult to imagine Ford as Randall P. McMurphy as it is hard to envision Nicholson as Han Solo or Indiana Jones, but they’re both stars of an arguably equal magnitude.
The Star Wars veteran wasn’t even the first choice for a part that would go on to become a personal favourite, which cast him decidedly against type and proved such an enjoyable experience that he would have loved nothing more to make a sequel despite the way the story ended. However, as Nicholson revealed three years before cameras started rolling, it was his for the taking.
“I’ll probably be making The Mosquito Coast with Peter Weir as the director,” he told Roger Ebert in November 1983 when asked about his upcoming projects. “I love the scene where the father gets into the rainforest and convinces them that a lightning storm is the nuclear holocaust and they can kiss their credit cards goodbye.”
As it transpired, “probably” was the operative word, with Nicholson eventually dropping out of the literary adaptation that had been snapped up for a feature-length adaptation almost as soon as it was published. The three-time Academy Award winner ended up becoming embroiled in a pay dispute with the producers, which screenwriter Paul Schrader believed affected the quality of the film.
“Jack was perfect for the character,” he suggested. “Now, it was a perfect collaboration, but egos got involved, and that’s that. He ended up paying Harrison Ford the same salary that Jack was asking. It got to be a pissing contest, and Jack did not want to be seen as an obligation. And obviously it would have been a much better film with Jack.”
In a fashion befitting his no-fucks-given attitude, Ford had no idea Nicholson was the first choice to play Allie Fox in The Mosquito Coast, but when he found out, he admitted that it “sounds like a good idea”. It was unfortunate for Nicholson to be denied the money he was asking for only for his replacement to negotiate the exact same salary, and it stands to reason the central character would have been a completely different force of nature were he the one leading the line.
