MovieChat Forums > Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Discussion > What if John Belushi or Gerard Depardieu...

What if John Belushi or Gerard Depardieu gotten James Woods's part?

posted a month ago by VHSGuy123 (14)
1 reply | jump to latest

Apparently, James Woods was not Sergio Leone's 1st choice for Max?

His 1st choice for the role was John Belushi and Belushi was committed to lose 40 pounds for the role, but unfortunately, Belushi died before he could accept the part.

Gerard Depardieu was also considered for the role, and was more than willing to do the role and perfect an American accent in order to play the role.

Nevertheless, James Woods got the part.

[–] mtxmind (3294) 24 days ago

I have a hard time picturing Belushi in the role, even if he had lost weight for it. But Gerard definately could've fit the role perfectly.

Ultimately, even though I've seen a lot of criticism here of his performance, Woods was perfect for the role & did very well.