Casting Choices: Could There Have Been Better Decisions?
It would be very interesting to be a casting director. I think it's an underrated position in terms of if a film works or fails. Some people have a knack for it. For instance, Clint Eastwood. When he got involved in the production of "Million Dollar Baby", the casting choices were Morgan Freeman for Frankie and Sandra Bullock for Maggie. Eastwood ended up taking the role of Frankie, gave Freeman the supporting role of Scrap, and literally on his own, decided to go with Hilary Swank as Maggie. History proved Eastwood's selections couldn't have been better. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing those parts. On occasion, casting decisions are changed - but it is quite possible that either scenario would have worked. A good example is the film "Doubt". Frances McDormand was lined up for Sister Aloysius. Natalie Portman was in negotiations to play Sister James. Everything changed when t...