Monty Clift was set to play Joe but withdrew or something at the last moment. Then when I watched it I kept thinking of Clift in the role. Would have been creepier since he'd have been younger-looking than Holden. Osborne also said Gloria Swanson had felt Bill Holden was 'too old'.
Still, with Holden, it works.
"Did you make coffee? Make it!"--Cheyenne.
I think Clift would just be too introverted to play this character, as written. He outwits and insults collection agents; tries to steal his best friend's fiancee; exploits a mentally disturbed woman for room and board. I think Holden's cockiness is perfect for the part.
shareI agree. I think William Holden is perfectly cast. Wilder has an unerring sense about casting and I don't think he would compromise and accept someone he thought wasn't right.
Mr. Osborne has told the same anachronistic stories for so many years I think he actually believes they're factual at this point.
Ms. Swanson never said any such thing. She and Holden admired and respected each other, worked well together and remained friends until his passing. It was actually Billy Wilder and his writing partner Charles Brackett who feared that Holden would appear too old for the character of Joe Gillis. He was 31 playing a 25 year old and due to his heavy drinking, he photographed older still. Swanson, however, was a radiant looking 50 at the time, and their initial idea was to make her look older through makeup. Swanson correctly reasoned that a woman of means would take care of herself to maintain a youthful appearance, particularly one as egotistical and self-centered as Norma Desmond. They saw her point, and the makeup artists were instructed to apply a light foundation and some 'cover up' under Holden's eyes to make him appear less weathered.
Holden was perfect as Joe Gillis. Clift played a gold digger in "The Heiress". He was great, but in the end he came off as a pathetic, sniveling loser. Maybe he could've played Gillis, but I doubt he would have captured just the right tone of cynicism mixed with self-doubt, like Holden did.
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