The Steven Spielberg Classic Schindler's List Could've Starred Sean Connery Or Mel Gibson
Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" was the rare animal that was a huge critical darling, a major awards contender, and a massive blockbuster. "Schindler's List" was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Worldwide, the film grossed over $322 million, a huge amount for a prestige picture. The fact that Spielberg also made "Jurassic Park" that same year only makes the achievement that much more impressive.
"Schindler's List" tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a wealthy Czech industrialist who, during World War II, employed as many Jewish workers as he could in his factories with the explicit purpose of saving them from concentration camps. He had to remain friendly with the Nazi party to keep his factories running and became increasingly distraught at what was happening to Europe's Jewish population. By the end of the film, Schindler breaks down, realizing that his wealth could have saved a few more people. Maybe just one more person.
In the role, Liam Neeson gives one of his best performances, playing suave and noble with impressive aplomb. Neeson's large frame and gentle demeanor had audiences naturally sympathizing with him. Prior to "Schindler's," Neeson was already a known quantity in Hollywood, having played a wide variety of leading and supporting roles, including in fantasy films, a weirdo superhero movie, and a Dirty Harry movie. "Schindler's List" cemented him as a major Hollywood player.
In a new oral history printed in the Hollywood Reporter, Neeson recalls that he wasn't necessarily Spielberg's initial choice for the role. Like any major Hollywood project, scripts were handed to all of the biggest stars of the day, whether or not they were appropriate. Yes, there is a world wherein Mel Gibson could have played Oskar Schindler.
Wouldn't that have been something?
Note that there is hardly ever a single actor who is uniquely perfect for any role. While Liam Neeson was excellent as Schindler, a different star would not have necessarily made "Schindler's List" any less powerful. It would, however, have made it markedly different. When Neeson was auditioning for the role, he knew he was up against several major Hollywood stars, including a few that Spielberg had worked with before. Neeson said to the Hollywood Reporter:
"I heard Harrison Ford's name. Costner's name. The Australian actor Jack Thompson — I thought, 'Oh, yeah, Jack looks very like Schindler.' I looked nothing like Schindler. Anyway, it was always in the back of my head, but I wasn't holding out huge hope."
In 1993, Ford had worked with Spielberg on three Indiana Jones movies. Costner was already a respected mainstream filmmaker thanks to the success of "Dances with Wolves" a few years earlier. Jack Thompson was known at the time for roles in films like "Wake in Fright," "Breaker Morant," "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," and "Flesh + Blood." He's an excellent actor. It seems, though, that he or Neeson were more likely to get the role over Mel Gibson.
For a moment, it looked like Martin Scorsese was going to direct "Schindler's List," and Scorsese's agent Michael Ovitz, saw a lot of big movie stars pass through the casting office in the early days. It was he who recalled Mel Gibson being mentioned specifically. He also recalls that when the project moved into Spielberg's hands, the new director pointedly did not want a movie star. This wasn't going to be a showcase for an ego, it seems. It was to be respectable.
Come on, Spielberg. Spill it.
Spielberg was coy about what other people came to see him about playing Oskar Schindler. Coming as no surprise, many people wanted a chance to work with Spielberg, and Spielberg didn't want to gossip. Although he did seem to confirm that the names Neeson dropped were indeed under consideration. The director said:
"A lot of people were interested in playing Schindler, and a lot of them were movie stars, and to all of them I promised never to divulge any of their history with me, so I'm not saying those names are accurate. I'm saying there were a number of people, even more than the names you gave me."
A version of "Schindler's List" with Sean Connery was based on a much older version of the project. Spielberg's film was based on the book "Schindler's Ark" written by Thomas Keneally, which was, in turn, based on the real-life story of Leopold Page, one of the Jewish people rescued by Schindler. It seems that way back in 1963, Leopold Page pitched his story to Hollywood executives, and a screenplay of Page's life, written by Howard Koch (one of the writers of "Casablanca"), was floating around town. That was the version that Connery was approached with, only shortly after he had played James Bond for the first time in "Dr. No." One might be able to picture a Hollywood prestige picture in the 1960s starring a young Sean Connery as Oskar Schindler.
To repeat one of the sentiments expressed above, however, that would have been a very different picture.