20 Things You Didn't Know About Waterworld
18. All Of These Actors Turned Down The Role Of The Deacon
It's tough to imagine anyone but the late, great Dennis Hopper in the role of the movie's hammy antagonist The Deacon. However, the part was first offered to a number of high-profile actors who largely turned it down.
First and foremost, Samuel L. Jackson rejected the part in order to appear in Die Hard with a Vengeance - a great career choice if there ever was one.
Elsewhere, Gene Hackman, James Caan, Gary Busey, Laurence Fishburne, and Gary Oldman all said no, with Oldman later claiming he flipped a coin to pick between Waterworld and The Scarlet Letter.
Considering that The Scarlet Letter bombed harder than Waterworld both critically and commercially, that perhaps wasn't such a great career choice.
Dennis Hopper's good pal Jack Nicholson was also offered the role, but things didn't work out as his asking price was too high.
In the end Hopper was a kooky blast in the role, Razzie nomination and all, though the prospect of Nicholson playing the Deacon sure does sound fun...