20 Things You Didn't Know About It's A Wonderful Life
10. Cary Grant As George Bailey
When RKO still held rights to It’s A Wonderful Life, it was originally developed with Cary Grant in mind to play the leading role of George Bailey. Once Frank Capra got his hands on the project, he rewrote the script to be tailored with James Stewart in mind.
However, Stewart himself was reluctant to undertake the role as it would be his first film after returning from World War II. Plus, since he had been overseas fighting in the war, his experiences ultimately changed his views on acting as a profession. James was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and battle fatigue.
Lionel Barrymore (Mr Potter) convinced James Stewart to be in It’s A Wonderful Life, and may have inadvertently saved his film career. Since then, he always cited George Bailey as being his favourite character he ever portrayed.