MovieChat Forums > Advise & Consent (1962) Discussion > Charlton Heston as Seab Cooley.

Charlton Heston as Seab Cooley.

posted 8 years ago by mousalope
2 replies | jump to latest

From the IMDB trivia:

Charlton Heston was offered the part of Brig Anderson, but the actor did not think it a strong part. He instead lobbied for the part of Seab Cooley but director Otto Preminger was set on either Spencer Tracy or Charles Laughton, so Heston withdrew.

As much as I like Heston that is for the best. The novelist wrote Seab as an old man, a curmudgeon relic of a bygone age. That character was one Laughton could wear like a glove, whereas no makeup or prosthetics then available could credibly age Heston into the role.

But had Heston been cast, it gives one to wonder by what means would Preminger have found to show Seab Cooley's bare hairy chest.

[–] hobnob53 8 years ago

I take that claim with a grain of salt, although I suppose it's possible Heston might have made a pitch for the Cooley role. But not only would he have been entirely unsuitable for it due to his age, but a man of his powerful build, no matter how disguised under make-up, would have been completely out of place for Seab Cooley. I suspect Heston would have played the character along the lines of his two impersonations of Andrew Jackson in the 50s.

If true, I'm not surprised that Heston would have passed on the Brig Anderson role. I suspect that character's homosexuality would not have been a comfortable fit for Chuck.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16275) 10 months ago

Spencer Tracy would had been good. No offense to Charlton Heston but I think that'd been terrible casting. As you said, Seab was meant as a relic. A cunning one but still a man out of another time.