One film, EVERYONE was begging for a part, any part…Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, Al Pacino, Gary Oldman, Mathew McConaughey, Ed Norton, Kevin Costner, Viggo Mortensen.
Sorry guys.
Terrence Malick sent them all home.
Bruce Willis even said that he would pay the crew to be in the movie. That was a fair offer, don’t you think?
Sorry, Bruce. Go home to Demi.
Sean Penn said that he would take any part for one dollar.
Terrence Malick had to think about that one. It was a tough call, but the man widely regarded as the world’s greatest actor should get a part for one dollar. Okay, Malick said, you’re in.
Malick picked a few more that were willing to work for almost nothing: Woody Harrelson, John Travolta, George Clooney, Adrien Brody, Nick Nolte, John Cusack and Jared Leto, among others.
Billy Bob Thornton got cut during editing as did Mickey Rourke and Bill Pullman.
Terrence Malick, the writer, director, producer and editor had his A-list cast that worked for 129 days in three countries, shooting The Thin Red Line.
The movie came in, not surprisingly, well under budget. 20th-Century Fox made a huge profit as the film grossed 98 million dollars in theaters. It was even nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Motion Picture. Scorcese called it the second best movie of the decade. At The Movies host, Gene Siskel, called it “the best contemporary war picture I have ever seen”.
And Sean Penn? He was given a few extra dollars. The exact amount is still a secret, but he did write a nasty letter to 20th-Century Fox demanding that he be flown by private jet to the world premiere of The Thin Red Line. The cost of the flight was $6000, about the equivalent of what he said he received for the movie.
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