Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, and Robert Downey Jr. are some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Reeves and Downey Jr. starred in two successful franchises- The Matrix and The MCU, while Pitt carved out a great career for himself through acclaimed films and The Oceans franchise.
As such, if the three of them are lining up to audition for a film, it’s a no-brainer to hire one of them. However, once upon a time a future Star Wars director passed on all three of them and hired Alec Baldwin’s brother, William Baldwin of all people.
When A Director Passed On Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, And Robert Downey Jr. For A Role
A viral video circulating on the internet shows Robert Downey Jr., Keanu Reeves, and Brad Pitt auditioning for the 1991 Ron Howard film called Backdraft. He later directed Solo: A Star Wars Story. Here’s the tweet:
Brad Pitt, Robert Downey, jr and Keanu Reeves all auditioned for BACKDRAFT. The Part eventually went to William Baldwin. pic.twitter.com/cmBEp06sEo
— All The Right Movies (@ATRightMovies) May 29, 2023
The role ultimately went to William Baldwin, Alec Baldwin’s brother. The film is about two fire-fighting brothers who have to team up to take down an arsonist and control a forest fire. Kurt Russell was also in the film as one of the lead roles.
Backdraft had a $40 million budget and grossed about $152 million at the box office. However, fans of Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, and Robert Downey Jr. aren’t upset. In fact, they are happy that they were passed over for the film.
Fans Of The 3 Big Stars Are Ecstatic That They Didn’t Get The Role In Ron Howard’s Film
Fans of Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, and Robert Downey Jr. came across the viral video and they are ecstatic that their favorite stars didn’t feature in the film or were passed over in favor of William Baldwin. Many think that the film was trash and others are of the view that Ron Howard was trying to save money by hiring Alec Baldwin’s brother.
Here are the hilarious tweets:
Lucky for them
— yojimbo21 (@Yojimbo21CA) May 29, 2023
He must have been like. Cheaper, right? Maybe they didn’t want someone who’d outshine the co-stars? Absolutely insane they’d pass over Pitt and Downey for *William Baldwin*
— Khyron42 Prime (@Khyron42P) May 29, 2023
that’s kinda funny
— firstname.lastname (@GoBlueTsunami) May 29, 2023
Typical Ron Howard move
— Rayletta Stevens (@RayStevensNot) May 30, 2023
One of the worst movies I ever saw
— Bob van Duuren 🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@bobvanduuren) May 29, 2023
Fans think that Reeves, Pitt, and Downey Jr. were able to have great careers because they avoided starring in Backdraft. Now, whether the film was good or bad is subjective, but it’s clear that not starring in the film didn’t hurt their careers at all. After all, each one of those three actors is A-list in Hollywood and is still enjoying a long and successful career.
Backdraft is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Twitter
