20 Things You Didn’t Know About The Green Mile
19. The Two Veterans Signed Up Because The Script Was So Moving
Darabont wanted James Cromwell for the part of Warden Moores from the very beginning: and after he read the script, Cromwell was moved to the point of tears and agreed instantly.
Even twenty years ago David Morse was one of the most respected character actors in the world. He hadn’t heard about the script until he was offered the role of Edgecomb’s right hand man Brutus ‘Brutal’ Howell, and admitted that he was in tears by the end of it:
“[It] was another experience where no matter where you looked on the set, someone was doing the best work of their career. It was one of those extraordinary scripts everyone wanted to be part of—Tom Hanks, Patricia Clarkson, Gary Sinise—just an amazing group of actors. Michael Clarke Duncan, who passed away recently, and Michael Jeter, who passed away a while ago, had so much heart; they are a big part of what makes that movie so meaningful to people.”