Bruce Willis Got His Big Break After Missing Out On A Madonna Movie

Susan Seidelman's 1985 comedy "Desperately Seeking Susan" is about an unhappy housewife named Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) who notices that two people appear to be communicating through mutually placed personal ads in her local newspaper. The correspondents are "Jim" and "Susan," and Roberta becomes involved in their progressing print-only drama. Audiences also see that Susan (Madonna) is an itinerant drifter who is having an affair with a mobster. She is involved in a crime drama of her own. All the same, Roberta manages to see a meeting between Susan and Jim from afar and then buys some of Susan's clothes after Susan sells them to a thrift store.

Naturally, through some exciting contrivances, Roberta is not only mistaken for Susan, but she hits her head and contracts amnesia, soon believing that she, too, is Susan. It's an exciting, high-concept comedy that introduced Madonna to the world and was inspired by Jacque Rivette's excellent 1974 film "Céline and Julie Go Boating."

Technically, Madonna filmed a drama called "A Certain Sacrifice" in 1979, but that film wasn't released until 1985. As far as the public was concerned, "Desperately Seeking Susan" was Madonna's calling card as an actor. She was already a huge pop star, having released her debut album "Madonna" in 1983 and her mega-hit "Like a Virgin" in 1984.

"Susan" was a hit, making over $27 million on a $5 million budget. Seidelman was coming off the raw punk flick "Smithereens" and would go on to direct "Making Mr. Right," "Cookie," and about a dozen others.

In an interview printed in the latest issue of Total Film Magazine, Seidelman talked about "Susan," the process of working with a then-broke Madonna, and the fact that Bruce Willis had auditioned to play the role of Dez, Roberta's boyfriend (who was ultimately played by Aiden Quinn).

When asked about Madonna, Seidelman recalled not a massive superstar or a wealthy pop icon, but a shabby, off-the-cuff punker without any cash in her pocket:

"Madonna was still way under the radar — an aspiring musician who also wanted to be in movies. I remember her arriving for her audition in a taxi and she didn't have enough to pay for it: she borrowed money from the girl behind the desk at our casting office! Straight away, I thought that was funny, cheeky and there was something scrappy about her that seemed perfect for the role. I fought to hire her, but it was the studio boss' son who clinched it: he loved Madonna's music and told them to hire her!"

It's a good thing studio heads have kids plugged into pop culture. And that directors like Seidelman are hip enough to have filmed in New York, knowing where all the hippest nightclubs are. Indeed, parts of "Susan" were filmed in Danceteria, a now-defunct dance club that Madonna used to frequent.

As for Bruce Willis, he was still playing bit parts in 1984 when "Susan" was holding auditions. He hadn't yet broken through with his hit TV series "Moonlighting," which debuted in 1985. Seidelman remembered meeting Willis after the film and learning that his rejection from "Susan" was a blessing in disguise:

"He was great! He wasn't cast, but at the end of filming, we had a wrap party and he was our bartender for the night, something he did in-between acting jobs. He thanked us for not casting him because, instead, he'd got the role in 'Moonlighting.' His big break!"

Willis is charming, but Quinn is a much different actor. Both Seidelman and Willis made the right choices.