The laundry list of great films that Warren Beatty has been involved with as an actor or director (or both) doesn’t need to spelled out, but there’s no doubt the 79-year-old Hollywood veteran has justified his legendary status and then some. And while his catalog of pictures is unparalleled, it’s fascinating to learn about the movies that crossed his plate that he ultimately turned down, and Happy Sad Confused found Beatty sharing the reasons why he let go of some of those projects.
As has been extensively documented, the path to getting “The Godfather” made was not an easy one, and it was Beatty who first had a crack at making it.
“Before Francis [Ford Coppola] ever got involved with it, [Paramount head] Charlie Bluhdorn had commissioned the book to be written [into a screenplay],” he explained.“I think he had paid $24,000 to Mario Puzo . And Charlie had liked ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ a lot, and he sent it to me, and he said I could do whatever I wanted, produce, write it, direct. I read the galleys, and I said, ‘Charlie, there’s no movie here.’ ”
Of course, he was dead wrong, and the film went on to become a landmark of American cinema. And Coppola was probably the guy to make that happen all along, as he had a clear understanding of what the story of the Corleones could be.
And it wouldn’t be the first time Beatty miscalculated, as he reveals he also didn’t think it was worth flying as the Man Of Steel.
“I believe they came to me first with ‘Superman’ and I didn’t think they were actually going to make a movie…and I said, ‘This is kind of ridiculous.’ And so I said to my assistant, run out and get me some long underwear. So she brings back the long underwear, and I take off my pants — not in front of her, by the way — and put on the long underwear, and open the full-length mirror, and I went to the telephone and I said, ‘Look, just forget about Superman, it ain’t going to happen.’ And then the movie was terrific,” Beatty said.
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In terms of more contemporary movies, two bright young talents — Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino — also rang up Beatty, but he had different reasons for turning them down.
For “Kill Bill,” Tarantino wanted him for the titular character, but Beatty reveals why he declined. “I believe it was my suggestion that David Carradine would be best for it. I didn’t want to leave my kids…He was shooting the movie in China, and I thought [Quentin was] going to be over there for a long time. And he said, no [it won’t be that long]. In fact, he was over there for exactly the time that I predicted. (laughs) I would love to work with Quentin.”
Beatty’s children were also behind his reason for saying no to “Boogie Nights,” and playing the role of Jack Horner.
“I felt that I didn’t want to do a movie about porn when I was having these kids, and that’s probably a snobby….by the way, I think it’s a very good movie. And PTA is a very, very good director,” Beatty said.
The full talk with Beatty is great stuff, so give it a spin below.