‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’: Why David Bowie initially “hated the script”
Before David Bowie had established himself as a musical icon, he’d already dipped his toes into the world of acting. However, the minor roles Bowie pursued before fame were a world away from the leading man positions he’d be in line to receive once his work made him one of the most significant cultural commodities on the planet.
Upon achieving absurd levels of success in one artistic field, everybody suddenly wanted a piece of Bowie throughout the entertainment industry. Although he didn’t have any formal acting training at drama school, Bowie had showcased through his inventive stage personas, such as Ziggy Stardust, that he was well-equipped to transition into acting.
Throughout his career, Bowie appeared in many movies, but he always took a selective approach to picking roles. For him to consider a film, it needed to have a script he wholeheartedly believed in, and if it didn’t fit his criteria, he’d refuse to sign up for the project.
When he was approached by Nicolas Roeg to star in 1976’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, based on a novel of the same name, Bowie initially couldn’t foresee himself starring in the film. At this point, he was yet to take on a major role in a movie, and his first step needed to be perfect. However, the script was a major stumbling block.
Bowie later explained to Playboy: “Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I was sent the script and was immediately intrigued with the character of Newton, who had a lot in common with me. He dreaded cars but loved fast speeds. He was physically emaciated; there were so many characteristics we had in common. One problem: I hated the script.”
However, Roeg knew Bowie was the person who he wanted to play Thomas Jerome Newton, and he did everything within his capacity to get his man. “Nicolas Roeg, the director, came over to my house a number of weeks after he’d sent the script,” Bowie recalled. “He arrived on time and I was out. After eight hours or so, I remembered our appointment. I turned up nine hours late, thinking, of course, that he’d gone. He was sitting in the kitchen. He’d been sitting for hours and hours and wouldn’t go upstairs, wouldn’t go into my room”.
Eventually, after waiting nine hours, Roeg had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Bowie and successfully worked his magic to secure his star. Bowie remembered: “He stayed in the kitchen. God, I was so embarrassed. I thought I would be embarrassed into doing the film. He said, ‘Well, David, what do you think of the script?’ I said, ‘It’s a bit corny, isn’t it?’ His face just fucking fell off.”
He continued: “Then he started talking. Two or three hours later, I was convinced the man was a genius. There is a very strong storyline, as it turns out, but that only provides the backbone to the meat of it.”
Although Bowie knew everything there was to know about music, his meeting with Roeg proved to be a vital lesson about filmmaking and a reminder that he was still a novice in this line of work.
Watch the trailer for The Man Who Fell to Earth below.
