John Turturro recalls losing ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ role despite Stanley Kubrick saying he ‘wrote this part’ for him

7 comments

1. Nicole was probably a better choice in the end.

2. From the EW article (quoted from a podcast):

   > The Shining director was familiar with Turturro’s acting projects. Impressed by his role as Primo Levi in The Truce, Kubrick wanted him to play pianist Nick Nightingale in Eyes Wide Shut.

   > “He said, ‘I wrote this part for you,'” Turturro recalled. “I didn’t say to him, ‘Whatever it is, I will do.'”

   > The Big Lebowski star said he was “talking to him like a normal person” despite really wanting to work with Kubrick. Unfortunately, this backfired, as Kubrick apparently believed that the actor wasn’t excited enough.

   > “The next day, I heard that I wasn’t available,” Turturro said. “I was unavailable because I didn’t tell him, you know, ‘No matter what.'”

3. Instead, the role went to the co-creator of Big League Chew.

4. I mean, the Nick Nightingale role was basically a bit part in the movie anyway. He has, what, one scene max and is mentioned a couple other times. I’m surprised he claims Kubrick wrote that role with someone in mind but the role didn’t suffer for the loss, I’ll say that.

5. I thought it was for Steve Martin?

6. imo Tom Cruise wasn’t the best casting choice. I think he did a good job but the fact that he was an action star at the time star kinda took away the vulnerability and intended sense of danger and paranoia for me (also, I know Tom isn’t just an action star and had worked on lots of interesting dramas by that point).

7. Be real for a moment. Kubrick said this to every actor he tried to recruit.

   What happened here is Kubrick realized he was talking to someone who he could not manipulate.

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