When it debuted in 1993, the legal drama Philadelphia made an immense impact on critics and moviegoers. The reason for this was how the movie presented sensitive subjects like AIDS and homophobia on screen. Directed under the vision of Jonathan Demme, the movie had Tom Hanks in the lead, playing the role of Andrew Beckett, a lawyer who gets fired from his law firm because of his homosexuality and AIDS-positive status.
He employs Joe Miller, a homophobic small-time attorney played by Denzel Washington, to fight against this prejudice. But Washington wasn’t the first choice of the makers. Interestingly, comedic icons like Bill Murray and Robin Williams were being considered for his role. But destiny had other plans.
Not Denzel Washington, but Robin Williams and Bill Murray were being eyed for Philadelphia
Inspired by real-life events, the sole aim of the makers before creating this movie was to change the minds and hearts of the audience. Further, the heavy subject of the movie required Jonathan Demme to pick his cast wisely. For the character of Joe Miller, he initially had the idea to mold his character as a comic relief to comfort the audience. In an interview with Oregon Live, he discussed his thoughts about the character.
Demme continued, saying that he knew right away that persuading people to watch the movie would be challenging given its subject matter. Thus, he and his team came up with the idea of casting someone whose name would immediately bring out the humor quotient in the movie. He added:
We [were] gonna have such a struggle to get people to see an AIDS movie, we were hoping to cast it with someone who, right out of the box, the mention of their name signals to people that there’s gonna be a lot of humor in this movie … specifically I was hoping for either Robin Williams or Bill Murray to play Joe Miller.
But fate had other plans when one of the movie’s producers sat beside Denzel Washington on a plane. The producer then allowed him to read the script, and right out of the gate, Washington expressed interest in playing Joe Miller.
Despite initial hesitation given that the actor wasn’t known to play comic roles, Jonathan Demme eventually called him. On the call, the duo discussed the role requirement with Washington, even joking that he happens “to be very, very funny.”
Denzel Washington highlighted the realistic elements of the film, even though his character was meant to be humorous. It was one of the key aspects that helped the movie earn $206 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing movies of 1993 (via The Numbers).
Tom Hanks’ current take on a role like Andrew Beckett
Tom Hanks won an Oscar for portraying a gay man with AIDS in Philadelphia. However, if given a chance again, he won’t play a role like Andrew Beckett again. In an interview with The New York Times Magazine in 2022, while promoting his movie Elvis, Hanks talked about his past projects, specifically Philadelphia and Forrest Gump (which got him his second Oscar).
He addressed that while these movies were more relevant at the time, making the same decision today would pose several challenges. The actor added that the times have changed and that a movie like Forrest Gump would most likely be “dead in the water.” On the topic of Philadelphia, he added that there would be no chance that “a straight actor would be cast” in a movie talking about homophobia today.
Hanks went on to say that there has been a significant cultural shift today. Furthermore, a straight actor playing a gay role, as he did in Philadelphia, might not be accepted by audiences. He added that sincerity and accurate portrayal are crucial to contemporary filmmaking.
However, he also cited successful examples of straight actors playing queer roles. For instance, Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Roy Halston Frowick (Halston) earned him an Emmy Award, and Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Leonard Bernstein (Maestro).
You can rent Philadelphia (1993) on Apple TV and stream Forrest Gump on Fubo.
