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Before assembling Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to star in 2005’sMr. & Mrs. Smith, director Dough Liman had numerous other stars in his mind to star alongside Pitt in the action flick. Following in the footsteps of Stanley Kubrick, who was known for hiring a real-life couple involving Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman inEyes Wide Shut, Liman had a similar idea for his movie.
But despite of hiring real-life couples, the director had a different approach towardsMr. & Mrs. Smithand revealed that they had ideas of attaching one of Brad Pitt’s exes to the role of Jane Smith.
Also read:“The film destroys every symbol”: Brad Pitt Allegedly Insulted Tom Cruise’s Work in $203 Million Movie, Claimed His World War Movie Was Better
Gwyneth Paltrow was the initial choice for the role of Jane Smith inMr. & Mrs. Smith
Following the premise of the movie, which follows a couple who are trying to kill each other, Liman explained that hiring Gwyneth Paltrow, who had a long history with Pitt would have been great for the film. Considering that the duo almost got married but eventually called off their engagement back in 1997, bringing Paltrow into the mix could have added another dynamic to the movie according to the director. Liman explained his reasoning by stating,
“I had been interested in casting Gwyneth Paltrow opposite Brad Pitt. Because they’re really exes. Think of the spectacle of that. Fireworks could really fly in that situation. Because I’m sure there’s some s— one of them was mad at the other one for. You find out what that baggage is and bring it out at the right moment, with the camera rolling”
However, this idea was later scrapped after one of the producers wasn’t sold on the concept and expressed that it wouldn’t have been a good decision from a moral standpoint.
Also read:“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t do it”: Brad Pitt Got Depressed in Miserable Shooting Condition, Was Forced to Continue Working Since He Could Not Pay $40 Million
Mr. & Mrs. Smith’sdirector realized that involving Brad Pitt’s ex wasn’t a good idea
Although the idea of comprisingBrad Pitt‘s ex in the movie to add another layer to the big-budget action flick sounds appealing, however, one of the producers wasn’t keen on the idea. Even though they admitted that it would have been great for the movie, it wasn’t the best thing for Brad Pitt and even if was in for the game, it wasn’t morally right. Liman explained the whole situation by stating,
“My producers were like, Look, that’s a great idea. But Brad is a human being. Even if he was game for it, it’s wrong for us to put him in a situation where he’s going to have to relive the demons of a relationship. That’s just a little bit too mad-scientist.”
Also read:“I had more fun making it”: Brad Pitt Hated Working With Tom Cruise So Much He Loved Filming $327M Depressing Thriller That Was Refused by Denzel Washington
But eventually, it appears that things worked out for the best as it is now hard to imagine anyone in the role of Jane Smith except Angelina Jolie and the movie also turned out as a big hit for the studios.
Mr. & Mrs. Smithis available to stream on Apple TV.
Source:Entertainment Weekly
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2543
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
