The Shawshank Redemption is one of the movies that truly stood the test of time. This 1994 crime thriller helmed by Frank Darabont is based on the story of renowned horror writer Stephen King. It is also considered a sleeper hit as it initially bombed at the box office before becoming a cult-classic favorite.
One interesting fact about this movie is that three of the biggest Hollywood names declined to star in it. One would definitely wonder why they would refuse to join a project that would allow them to work with Morgan Freeman.
Who Are The 3 Actors Offered To Star In The Shawshank Redemption?
The movie’s casting department went out in the 1990s to look for the actor who would play the part of Andy Dufresne. According to Vanity Fair, Tom Hanks and Kevin Costner declined the offer.
Tom Cruise was also tapped for the role, and he was actually game for it. In fact, he even did a table reading with the director. The only reason he balked at the movie was because he could not trust to work with a newbie director.
The Mission: Impossible star negotiated that if Rob Reiner, the director he worked with in 1992’s A Few Good Men, would keep an eye on the production, he would take The Shawshank Redemption offer. Castle Rock Entertainment producer Liz Glotzer said, “And Rob said, ‘No, if you’re going to do it with [Darabont], it’s his vision. So then Tom Cruise didn’t want to do it.”
Cruise’s reasoning for declining is that he wanted to protect his star power, and because the result of his previous film with Reiner was impressive, he wanted to keep working with veteran filmmakers.
On the other hand, Costner had to turn down the project because he was already working on the post-apocalyptic sci-fi film Waterworld, which ended up a box-office mess just like The Shawshank Redemption. The difference is that the latter managed to redeem itself, while the former became a forgotten name.
Tim Robbins Shares Thoughts On The Shawshank Redemption
Tim Robbins, the actor who bagged the lead role in The Shawshank Redemption, reflected on his days playing Andy Dufresne. He told Entertainment Weekly:
“It’s really been a great blessing. When you’re in a film that is the most popular film of all time, you can scratch that one off the bucket list. For perspective, when you’re in this industry, oftentimes people are in a constant quest to outdo themselves. If your new film doesn’t outperform your last film, you’re on your way out.”
He claimed to have never focused on those aspects of stardom. He wanted to make movies that would last forever and would resonate with every generation.
The initial failure was also due to the fact that people could not remember the title. Only when they actually took the time to watch and understand it did they begin to love the film. For Robbins, being a part of the franchise was such a huge honor.
The Shawshank Redemption is available to watch on Netflix.
