How William Baldwin almost stole Brad Pitt’s breakthrough role: “Isn’t he too short?”
‘Size isn’t everything’ is a phrase I’ve clung to ever since I first read Cosmopolitan, but quite often it is more important than you might imagine; indeed, had it not been for height, or rather lack of it, we may never have heard of Brad Pitt, and wouldn’t that be sad?
It’s hard to imagine, with the hindsight of Pitt being arguably the most famous male movie star in the world for the last 30 years or so, that he was ever an unknown, but that was indeed the case in 1991 when the ultimate feminist road trip movie, Thelma and Louise, was in the early stages of production.
While the main two characters were set with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon firmly in place, the pivotal role of ‘JD’, the handsome young hustler who cons the women out of their money, was not filled, with a roll call of the most in-demand talent in Hollywood lining up to get the part.
Looking back, it’s almost unfathomable to hear about the men who either auditioned for the role and the careers they would go on to have. Pitt auditioned early on, but was dismissed because the producers felt he was too young for the part. George Clooney auditioned, but it did not go well. Mark Ruffalo, who was in his early 20s, also tried out. Christian Slater and River Phoenix were also considered.
In the end, though, it was William Baldwin who won out, and the role went to him, only for him to pass on the film in lieu of making the fireman thriller Backdraft. The backup actor was called Grant Show, who would go on to star in Melrose Place, but he was also unavailable, leaving the team behind Thelma and Louise, which was to be directed by Ridley Scott, floundering.
They put out a call to every talent agency in Hollywood, and an Assistant Casting Director on the film called Ira Belgrade recalls hearing someone telling her in the office: “CAA says Robert Downey Jr will take it for whatever we have in the budget.”
At that point, RDJ was already a star at 25, thanks to classic ‘80s fare like Weird Science, but Belgrade replied: “Isn’t he too short? Next to Geena?” The team queried it with Scott, the director, and he shot the idea down, leaving them without an actor to play one of the most important roles in the film.
In the end, it was Geena Davis who got things moving back toward Pitt. She felt there was obvious chemistry during their audition together, during which she got flustered and apologised to Pitt for ruining it. She told Scott and the casting director to go with ‘the blonde one’, and Pitt was in.
The film went on to be one of the biggest hits of the early 1990s, earning six Academy Award nominations and winning one for ‘Best Original Screenplay’. It proved to be a breakthrough role for Pitt, leading to Robert Redford casting him the following year in A River Runs Through It. He has since gone on to win two Oscars and two Golden Globes and will be hopeful of adding to that tally later this year when the David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino film The Adventures of Cliff Booth is released.
