The legendary director John Wayne turned down out of spite and would always regret: “Too much water under that bridge”
In 1930, John Wayne landed his first leading role in the Raoul Walsh western The Big Trail, and he probably believed superstardom beckoned. Unfortunately, though, that film utilised widescreen technology that few cinemas in the Depression could support, so it was a box office disaster.
After that, Wayne settled into a groove of making B-movies for much of the rest of the ’30s, few of which were any good. He worked prolifically, though, usually starring in anywhere between eight and 11 movies in a single calendar year, and by 1936, he saw his opportunity to make another stab at the big time.
When Wayne discovered that the iconic silent era director Cecil B DeMille, who is often called the founding father of American cinema, was putting together a western entitled The Plainsman, he wanted in. This picture would feature real-life historical figures like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill, and General George Custer, after all, which intrigued the star. So, he had his agent set up a meeting with the famed The Ten Commandments helmer, and duly pitched himself as the perfect actor to portray Hickok.
However, to Wayne’s horror, DeMille witheringly said, “You were in The Big Trail, weren’t you? A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.” Unsurprisingly, he didn’t get the role, with it going to Gary Cooper instead, and Wayne knew exactly what DeMille meant when he read between the lines of his comment. “To him,” a crestfallen Wayne admitted, “I was now just a minor star of B-movie westerns.”
Naturally, Wayne’s pride was hurt by DeMille’s dismissiveness, but all he could do was put his nose back to the grindstone and continue working. Over the next couple of years, he continued to grind out low-rent westerns until everything changed in 1939. This was the year John Ford’s Stagecoach was released, and with Wayne finally finding himself in a true A-list western, his performance as the Ringo Kid saw him break out as a movie star after more than a decade of trying.
Not long after Wayne’s star status was solidified by Stagecoach, a name from his past finally decided to take him seriously. It was, of course, DeMille who sent an assistant to offer Wayne the lead role in his upcoming western, North West Mounted Police. Would Wayne be able to let bygones be bygones and accept a part that would be beneficial for his career, even though he still held a grudge against the director? Would he hell.
“Just tell Mr DeMille, too much water has flowed under the bridge for me to want that role,” Duke said through gritted teeth.
While it may have felt good at the time to get his own back on DeMille, Wayne soon came to believe he was a bit hasty with his rejection. In fact, according to John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, “For a long time after, Wayne regretted his response,” and was forced to admit to himself, “It was a huge mistake… because a DeMille picture would have brought him major stardom much sooner.”
Thankfully, there was a happy ending to this tale of actor and director getting in their own way. In 1942, DeMille made the seafaring adventure Reap the Wild Wind, and again wanted Wayne to star in it. This time, though, he personally offered Duke the part, and Wayne accepted after some gentle ribbing about how he was only being hired as the villain to make star Ray Milland “look like a man”. Even better, against all the odds, Wayne and DeMille got along so well during filming that they became fast friends, proving that it was silly for them to let ego get in the way for six years.
