10 Real Reasons These Actors Were Cast In Major Movie Roles
5. Harvey Spencer Stephens Punched Richard Donner In The Balls - The Omen
Richard Donner's 1976 horror classic The Omen is hugely reliant on the sublimely creepy performance of young Harvey Spencer Stephens as demonic child Damien Thorn.
Donner went to great pains to find a child who could convey the required ferocity, with the director even inviting the auditioning children to start attacking him with all their might.
When it came to Stephens, he reportedly ended up punching Donner in the testicles and began clawing away at his face, confirming to the filmmaker that he was indeed the right choice for Damien.
Stephens was subsequently cast and did a terrific job in the role, though perhaps somewhat tellingly, in 2017 he was given a suspended prison sentence for a road rage attack in which he assaulted two cyclists. Yikes.