Again within the wild journey that was ’90s Hollywood, a really weird casting twist virtually modified the face of one of many greatest motion films of the last decade. Seems, Johnny Depp was near starring in Face/Off, the 1997 guns-blazing thriller that ended up pairing Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. However Depp, being Depp, stated “no thanks” to the function. The explanation? He thought the movie was about hockey.
Screenwriter Michael Colleary spilled the beans on this almost-too-weird-to-be-true second. “After lastly studying the script, nevertheless, Depp refused to participate. Having learn the title, he thought the movie can be about hockey. He was dissatisfied when he found that it was not about hockey. He was out,” Colleary stated, in response to Looper.
Depp was initially being thought of to play FBI agent Sean Archer, the function that finally went to Travolta. Nicolas Cage was already locked in because the over-the-top villain Castor Troy, and Paramount was gunning for a Depp-Cage combo. However the minute Depp realized there have been no skates or sticks concerned, he backed out.
A Hockey Combine-Up That Modified The whole lot For Face/Off
Johnny Depp’s quirky exit prompted greater than only a casting shuffle. Director Marco Brambilla additionally stepped away from the mission after Depp’s departure. That crack within the lineup opened the door for John Woo, who introduced his signature fashion, slow-mo, doves, and two-handed gun battles. It resulted in a bonkers adrenaline-pumped motion flick that turned a cult traditional.
Travolta and Cage went full ship, every chewing surroundings like their final meal. The face-swapping plot was wild, the performances had been even wilder, and by some means, all of it labored. But it surely would possibly by no means have occurred if Depp hadn’t misinterpret the title as if it had been a sports activities documentary. And consider it or not, this isn’t the primary time Depp walked away from a possible blockbuster.
Nic Cage and John Travolta did what wanted to be accomplished in Face/Off. pic.twitter.com/0R1t64xmmX
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) August 28, 2022
Johnny Depp Additionally Mentioned No To Titanic & Ghost Rider
Hollywood is stuffed with “what may’ve been” moments, and Depp would possibly simply be king of them. He famously turned down the function of Jack Dawson in Titanic as a result of the script simply didn’t click on. “I labored via about 15 pages of Titanic and stated, ‘This isn’t for me,’” Depp admitted, in response to CBR.
He was additionally within the combine to play Marvel’s flaming biker antihero in Ghost Rider. That function, in fact, finally landed with Nicolas Cage once more. Producer Avi Arad had Johnny Depp in thoughts, however the actor walked away earlier than something was locked.
This string of dropped roles would possibly sound like a streak of missteps. However in Depp’s world, it’s all a part of the plan. He’s constructed a profession on oddball components, inventive dangers, and steering away from the predictable. From Captain Jack Sparrow to Edward Scissorhands, he’s all the time danced to his personal beat.
Passing on Face/Off might need been a “oops” second in hindsight. But it surely additionally handed us considered one of Nicolas Cage and John Travolta’s greatest team-ups. And truthfully, would you need Face/Off every other approach?
For extra such tales, take a look at Hollywood Information
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