William Friedkin’s deal-breaking disagreement with Steve McQueen: “I was an arrogant moron”
Common sense dictates that a director who instructs a screenwriter to create a character around a specific actor would subsequently move heaven and earth to guarantee they ended up starring in the movie, but William Friedkin wasn’t even willing to make exceptions for a star like Steve McQueen.
One of the most popular names, bankable draws, and charismatic leading men in Hollywood throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the coolest cat in the business was in a position to pick and choose his roles. He was on board with Friedkin, but one single demand ended up being a deal-breaker.
Not that the filmmaker would be forced to bend over backwards to give McQueen what he wanted no questions asked, though, because he was a pretty big deal himself at the time. His previous two features had been The French Connection and The Exorcist, so in directorial terms he was on top of the world.
The former won five Academy Awards, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’, whereas the latter became a box office sensation and the highest-grossing R-rated release in history, not to mention the first horror movie to ever be shortlisted for ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars. They were two talents at the top of the totem pole, then, but one of them was going to have to budge.
For his hotly-anticipated follow-up and first new feature in four years, Friedkin had settled on the action thriller Sorcerer. A reinterpretation of The Wages of Fear, the story followed four men on the run from the law in South America who accept a significant payday and local citizenship if they transport a dangerous cargo to a destination 200 miles away.
Friedkin had already met McQueen by this point and told The Wild Bunch scribe Walon Green to write the part of Jackie Scanlon to suit his sensibilities. The proposed leading man was all for it until he got married and discovered his would-be director wasn’t of the mind to make hasty alterations to the script to accommodate the newlywed.
“I talked to Steve about the film and sent him Wally’s script,” Friedkin told Gloria Heifetz. “Two days later, he called and said, ‘This is the best script I’ve ever read.’ Then he said, ‘I’ve got a favour to ask. I just married Ali MacGraw, and you’re gonna be off in some jungle for six months. Would you consider writing a role for her?'”.
The auteur pointed out that there was only one very small role in the script for a woman, and he wasn’t interested in penning another one unnecessarily. Making a counter-offer, McQueen suggested adding MacGraw to the behind the scenes team as either an executive or associate producer. Unfortunately, Friedkin’s bullishness got the better of him, and he was happy to admit it.
“Back then, I was really an arrogant punk,” he confessed. “If Steve McQueen had asked me that today, I would have immediately agreed. But I said, ‘Steve, that’s a bullshit credit. Don’t you have more respect for your wife than to give her some bullshit credit? I’m not gonna do that.'”
Making yet another suggestion, McQueen asked if there were any locations in the United States where Sorcerer could shoot, which would allow him to take part in the movie without separating him from his new bride. Again, Friedkin had already decided the majority of principal photography was going to take place in the Dominican Republic.
With none of his terms being met, McQueen dropped out, which caused a domino effect that also saw Marcello Mastroianni and Lino Ventura jump ship. Neither of the legendary Italian actors had any issues taking second or third billing when a megastar was up for the lead, but they changed their tune when it came to playing second or third fiddle behind Roy Scheider.
Friedkin summed up his near-miss with a succinct, “I was an arrogant moron,” a harsh but fair assessment after repeatedly shooting down several compromises being suggested by the star he was so desperate to secure in the first place and never ended up working with at all.
