Why Tom Cruise Left Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption

For young audiences who have seen Tom Cruise star in little but just "Mission: Impossible" movies and would-be franchise starters for the past 25 years, it can be hard to imagine when the President of Movies was not just a big box office draw but also a very sought after dramatic actor who worked with the finest directors in the industry.

Indeed, back in the '90s, Tom Cruise starred in a string of commercial and critical hits, acclaimed movies from proven auteurs that made money and got accolades, from "Days of Thunder" and "The Firm" to "Interview with the Vampire" and "Eyes Wide Shut." But for as many movies Tom Cruise was in that were hits, there are also movies Cruise was at some point or another attached to but ultimately was not a part of. One such movie is the notorious box office bomb that ended up becoming a cult classic, "The Shawshank Redemption."

That's right, Tom Cruise was at one point very eager to play Andy Dufresne in the adaptation of Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" for one specific reason. Coming off "A Few Good Men," Cruise saw an opportunity to reunite with his director Rob Reiner, who had agreed to produce Frank Darabont's screenplay for "Shawshank" via his Castle Rock Entertainment production company. According to USA Today, Darabont was offered cash to let Reiner direct the film, but he turned it down. Cruise was even close to playing Andy without Reiner anyway, and he reportedly attended a table read, but ultimately pulled out of the movie.

"I think he was a bit nervous working for a first-time director. I don't blame him for that," Darabont said. "But he might have been too big for the movie I wanted to make. It wasn't a 'Cool Hand Luke' role where you want Paul Newman. It was a little less bold, more subtle than that."

It makes sense that, at the time, Cruise would choose to pass on "The Shawshank Redemption" due to Darabont being inexperienced. After all, Cruise was coming off the success of his collaborations with Sydney Pollack in "The Firm," Rob Reiner in "A Few Good Men," Ron Howard in "Far and Away," and Tony Scott in "Days of Thunder." All of these were established and acclaimed directors who knew how to use Cruise, whereas Darabont was a completely unpredictable variable. Sure, the movie went on to become beloved by audiences to the point where it somehow still holds the title of highest-rated movie on IMDb after many, many years, but it's hard to imagine that being the case before it started filming.

Cruise was not the only major star to almost appear in "The Shawshank Redemption." Brad Pitt was also at one point set to play Tommy Williams, a small but pivotal role late in the movie. But when Pitt rose to stardom after "Thelma & Louise," he pulled out in order to star in "Interview With the Vampire" alongside Cruise.

Really, this movie attracted some of the biggest acting legends of all time, even if it was just a brief ask that went nowhere. Darabont initially looked at his acting idols, like Robert Duvall and Gene Hackman and even considered Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood, but those conversations didn't go far. In addition to Cruise, Kevin Costner and Tom Hanks also passed on the role of Andy Dufresne, and Hanks went on to star in the beloved "Forrest Gump" and Costner would star in the precursor to the "Waterworld" stunt show at Universal.

In the time since "The Shawshank Redemption," Cruise has changed his attitude toward directors. He's spent most of the last 25 years acting in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, which has involved first-time feature directors like J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird (his live-action debut), while also doing bizarre work with not-very-tested directors like Adam Shankman in "Rock of Ages." With the news that Cruise is teaming up with Alejandro González Iñárritu for a new movie, perhaps the Cruise of old who worked on acclaimed and not just successful movies is on his way back.