The Razzie-winning Liam Neeson movie David Bowie auditioned for: “It was a ferocious casting session”
Unless a part has been written with a specific person in mind, multiple actors auditioning for the same role are hardly out of the ordinary. However, it can’t be denied that the thought of Liam Neeson and David Bowie competing for the same part is strange.
The two stars are both good actors, albeit with different sets of skills, to paraphrase one of Neeson’s most famous monologues. Bowie wouldn’t exactly be under consideration for Schindler’s List, Rob Roy, or Taken, just like it’s hard to imagine Neeson bulging his way through Labyrinth or smouldering through The Hunger.
Bowie wasn’t what anyone would call a prolific actor, and because of who he was, the chances were typically high that whenever he signalled interest in a particular project, he’d end up getting the job. His onscreen appearances were sporadic, although he dodged a bullet by missing out on a movie that received awards season recognition of the worst possible kind.
Writer and director David Seltzer’s adaptation of Susan Isaacs’ novel Shining Through was a high-profile production, with Meg Ryan and Michelle Pfeiffer circling the female lead, Linda Voss, before Melanie Griffith was hired. Michael Douglas signed on to play Ed Leland in the World War II drama, but the race to find the perfect Franze-Otto Dietrich was the most heated.
Griffith’s American volunteers to engage in some undercover spycraft behind enemy lines at the behest of Douglas’ intelligence operative, where she encounters Neeson’s Nazi general. It was a hard-fought battle for the latter to get through the audition process, which he compared to one of the most famous casting calls in Hollywood history.
“It was a ferocious casting session,” he told The Sunday Times. “I think they tested every really good British actor. I think they even tested David Bowie. It was like casting Rhett Butler or something. So I got that, and I was thrilled.” Unfortunately, critics and audiences were decidedly less enthused.
Shining Through was nominated for five Razzies, winning three for ‘Worst Picture’, ‘Worst Director’, and ‘Worst Actress’. Neeson took it on the chin, though: “I did think it would be a good film,” he admitted. “And that it would be commercial. As it turned out, the film wasn’t as good as the script. That happens.”
It can’t be a nice feeling for an actor to go through a heated casting battle and fend off the advances of countless esteemed peers and colleagues, only to end up with a dud on their hands. While Neeson was lucky enough to be the only one of the three leads who didn’t earn a Razzie nomination for their performance, Bowie must have breathed a sigh of relief when the part he tested for ended up being named the worst movie to have released in 1992.
