7 Roles Dustin Hoffman Almost Played

to their 85 yearsthe actor Dustin Hoffmann is a living legend of Hollywood, with up to seven Oscar nominations. The American ended up winning two golden statuettes for Kramer vs. Kramer (in 1980) and rain man (1989), and many do not forget his sublime participation in The graduate Y midnight cowboy.

The actor’s birthday is in one of the most delicate moments of his career, after being accused of several cases of abuse on the set of filming. own meryl streep denounced that he had hit him on the set of Kramer vs. Kramer before the camera, without their consent. A slab that now weighs on the career of an illustrious actor, who this year participated in the film As They Made Usby Mayim Bialik.

Beyond the controversies, it is inevitable to recognize that the actor has been part of the history of cinema and it is surprising to know that his career could have been even more extensive, if he had achieved these 7 roles he was about to play:

Michael Corleone in ‘The Godfather’

Al Pacino in ‘The Godfather’
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While some performers like Martin Sheen and Dean Stockwell had to audition to play Michael Corleone, this role was offered directly to Hoffman. Director Francis Ford Coppola believed he was the perfect fit after the work that had garnered him his first two Oscar nominations. Nevertheless, he had to turn down the role due to scheduling problems, at a time when it had up to three projects in the queue. Al Pacino would end up playing a role that would cause him to rise to the top of stardom.

Travis Bickle in ‘Taxi Driver’

Robert de Niro in 'Taxi Driver'
Robert de Niro in ‘Taxi Driver’
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After Martin Scorsese explained the film to Hoffman over the phone, the actor thought the director had gone crazy. The misunderstanding of the central idea of ​​the film caused Hoffman to reject the role of Travis Bickle and went to an immense Robert de Niro, with whom the actor had worked in bad streets (1973). Other actors who were considered for the lead were Jack Nicholson, Jeff Bridges, Alain Delon or Marlon Brando, among many others.

Rick Deckard in ‘Blade Runner’

Harrison Ford in 'Blade Runner'
Harrison Ford in ‘Blade Runner’
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Hoffman was initially cast as Rick Deckard, the role that would end up being played by Harrison Ford. However, the actor he questioned why they wanted him to play a “macho character”. Creative differences over the character with director Ridley Scott ultimately led to the actor’s departure from the project.

Leo Bloom in ‘The Producers’

Gene Wilder in 'The Producers'
Gene Wilder in ‘The Producers’
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The filmmaker Mel Brooks was a neighbor of a still unknown Hoffman in Greenwich Village in the 1960s. The director offered him the role of Leo Bloomplayed by Gene Wilder, in the film The producers. However, Hoffman was interested in playing the character of Franz Liebkind, who would play actor Kenneth Mars in the film. Given the lack of consensus and in the middle of casting the film, Hoffman received a test to The graduate. A break that Brooks allowed him, whose wife Anne Bancroft had been signed for the film and believing that the interpreter would never be chosen.

John Rambo in ‘Corneral’

Sylvester Stallone in 'Corneral'
Sylvester Stallone in ‘Corneral’
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It is unheard of to think of another actor other than Sylvester Stallone playing Rambo, but Hoffman also came close to getting into the skin of the veteran Green Beret. A role that he rejected for being too violent, after director Mike Nichols proposed it to him. The film originally written by Michael Kozoll and William Sackheim, based on the novel by David Morrell, would take several turns until Nichols left and Ted Kotcheff arrived at the direction.

Super Mario in ‘Super Mario Bros.’

Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo in 'Super Mario Bros.'
Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo in ‘Super Mario Bros.’
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Waiting for the new version of Super Mariowith the voices of Chris Pratt Anya Taylor-Joy, the Nintendo video game saga had a live-action version in 1993. Hoffman’s children were huge fans of this saga, so the actor was behind this role. Bob Hoskins would end up finally adopting the role of Super Mario and John Leguizamo that of Luigi, who they lowered the cost of production due to their humbler salary.

Yitzhak Stern in ‘Schindler’s List’

Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley in 'Schindler's List'
Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley in ‘Schindler’s List’
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In a 1994 interview with Larry King, Hoffman admitted that he had talked to Steven Spielberg about playing Yitzhak Stern. A series of miscommunications led Spielberg to believe that Hoffman had turned down the role, which fell into the hands of Oscar winner Ben Kingsley. A fact that happened after the actor had also previously rejected a role in Matches in the third phase. This event provoked a new regret for the actor, who in his career would also have declined work with great filmmakers such as Woody Allen, Federico Fellini or Ingmar Bergman, among others.

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7 Roles Dustin Hoffman Almost Played