Anthony Michael Hall as Private Joker
Imagine the star of The Breakfast Club and Weird Science as the cynical war correspondent. It almost happened. Anthony Michael Hall was Stanley Kubrick's first choice for the lead role of Private Joker. Hall and Kubrick spent eight months in negotiations,
but they ultimately couldn't agree on financial terms. Hall later expressed regret, stating he was fascinated by Kubrick and wanted to be in the film, but the stories of him being fired from the set were untrue. The role, of course, went to Matthew Modine, cementing his place in film history.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Animal Mother
This is the most mind-bending what-if. Stanley Kubrick seriously considered Arnold Schwarzenegger, then at the height of his '80s action hero fame, for the role of the brutish machine-gunner, Animal Mother. The director reportedly thought the muscle-bound star would be perfect for the part of the uncompromising and lethal soldier. However, Schwarzenegger had to turn down the offer due to scheduling conflicts with films like Predator and The Running Man. The part eventually went to Adam Baldwin, whose performance as the intense, M-60-wielding marine became iconic in its own right.
Bruce Willis as… Someone Important
Before he was John McClane, Bruce Willis was a rising TV star on the series Moonlighting. Kubrick offered Willis an unspecified role in Full Metal Jacket, but the actor had to decline. His commitment to Moonlighting's filming schedule made it impossible for him to take the part. It's one of Hollywood's great what-ifs; had Willis taken the role, his career trajectory might have looked very different, and Die Hard might have had a different star.
Val Kilmer’s Intense Pursuit of a Role
Val Kilmer wanted in on Full Metal Jacket, badly. He was considered for the part of Private Joker and went to great lengths, creating his own audition tapes to send to the famously reclusive director. In a strange twist, it was an angry confrontation from Kilmer that alerted Matthew Modine that the film was even being cast. Kilmer, frustrated at losing roles to Modine, accused him of having already landed the part. That conversation prompted Modine to call his agent, which set the wheels in motion for him to eventually get the lead role. Kilmer's intense efforts ultimately didn't land him a part, but they accidentally helped cast his rival.
Denzel Washington Was Shut Out
Even future legends face rejection. A young Denzel Washington expressed strong interest in being in the film. However, Kubrick’s legendary secrecy and his refusal to send out scripts for auditions became a major roadblock. Washington recalled being told he couldn't get a script and was essentially shut out of the process, leaving him to wonder what he was supposed to do. It’s a powerful reminder that even an actor of Washington's caliber couldn't break through Kubrick's unique and demanding casting process.
The Original Gunnery Sergeant Hartman
R. Lee Ermey’s performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman is one of the most terrifying and memorable in film history, but he wasn't the original choice. Ermey was initially hired as a technical advisor. The role of Hartman was given to another actor, Tim Colceri. However, Ermey, a former real-life Marine drill instructor, filmed his own audition tape of himself spewing insults and proved to Kubrick he was the only man for the job. Kubrick was so impressed that he cast Ermey, bumping Colceri to the smaller role of the helicopter door gunner as a consolation.
