The Hollywood actor that missed out on David Lynch movie ‘The Elephant Man’
David Lynch divided critics with his debut feature Eraserhead, the surrealist horror that is now championed for its intricate sound design and horrifying images representing parental fear and the trappings of industrialism. Rich with sexual undercurrents and goreish imagery, Eraserhead was eventually recognised for its genius after it was frequently shown at midnight movie screenings within the underground circuit.
This led Stuart Cornfeld, an executive producer for actor Mel Brooks, to view the movie, which he described as “the greatest thing [he’d] ever seen. It was such a cleansing experience”. The producer agreed to help Lynch create his follow-up feature, which was originally going to be Ronnie Rocket. However, Lynch quickly realised that this film would struggle to gain adequate finance, which he described as about “electricity and a three-foot guy with red hair”.
Instead, Lynch asked Cornfeld to find a pre-written script for him to direct and decided upon Chris De Vore and Eric Bergren’s The Elephant Man. The film is based on the true story of a man named Joseph Merrick (named John in the film), who had tumours across his skin and an enlarged head. Found working in a Victorian freak show by doctor Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), he studies his condition, only to find that Merrick is a kind-hearted soul, not the so-called ‘freak’ he has been treated as his whole life.
The film, produced by Mel Brooks under the name ‘Brooksfilms’, is one of Lynch’s most emotionally poignant, with John Hurt being widely praised for his effective performance as John Merrick. However, many Hollywood actors wanted the highly sought-after role, and Hurt almost didn’t take the job.
Dustin Hoffman, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time, was interested in playing the role. He had recently starred in Kramer VS. Kramer, which was a huge success for the star. However, this became the main reason for his failure to secure the role.
One of The Elephant Man‘s producers, Jonathan Sanger, deemed Hoffman too famous for the job. He believed that someone as recognisable as Hoffman would make the heavy amount of special effects makeup look less believable, suggesting that audiences would be too preoccupied with the fact that they were watching Hoffman in heavy makeup to focus on the film.
Sanger discussed his reaction to Hoffman’s expressed interest, saying: “Mel’s [Brooks] lawyer said: ‘I was talking to Dustin and he loves the idea of The Elephant Man. I was immediately negative about it. I said to Mel: ‘We’re always going to be looking to see where the Elephant Man ends and Dustin Hoffman begins.'”
Lynch originally wanted Jack Nance, who had played the leading role in Eraserhead, to portray John Merrick. Yet, during the casting process, Lynch happened to view the 1975 film The Naked Civil Servant, starring John Hurt as queer icon Quentin Crisp, and he knew he’d found his actor.
Hurt was unsure about the part because he thought Eraserhead was so dark. Eventually, he acquiesced, even if he had to convince his friend that he was making the right decision. He once recalled a conversation with a friend, who argued against Hurt starring in a Lynch picture: “I went with a friend, and she said: ‘Well you won’t be making that movie with David Lynch.’ I said: ‘You have to be fucking joking. I guarantee you will live to your dying day and you will not be short of thirty images out of that film’. It was so wild and dangerous.”
Hurt made the right decision, and his role in The Elephant Man ended up being one of the greatest performances of his career. He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, despite losing to Robert De Niro for his role in Raging Bull. Nevertheless, Hurt’s moving performance is remembered for its truly remarkable quality.
