Eyes Wide Shut: 10 Awesome Images You've Never Seen

5. Alternative Casting

Ford

Below is an excerpt from New York magazine released on the 21st of April 1997 in which we find out that Harvey Keitel unexpectedly left the set of Eyes Wide Shut. Sydney Pollack ended up replacing him as the character of Victor Ziegler, a wealthy patient of Bill's.

Another casting rumor was that Kubrick really wanted Harrison Ford to play Bill as Bill is inherently Ford-like, which explains the name Harford. There's a lot of crazy speculations as to why Ford didn't play the part. Some sources say that he wasn't "vanilla" enough for the role. Kubrick stressed that the Harford's had to be typically rich, white and Protestant (I don't see how Ford wouldn't be able to fit this bill). It's probably more likely that Ford just served as an inspiration for the character, which doesn't always mean he should be the one playing it. Cruise also came with a better actress for a wife.

Screen Shot 2012-12-17 at 23.05.55

Contributor
Contributor

I am a recent graduate with an MA in Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media. Top 3 films: City of God, 21 Grams, Brick Top 3 televison shows: In Treatment, Project Runway, Parks and Recreation Top 3 books: Mysterious Skin, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Great Gatsby Top 3 facts: I'm Dutch, I love sloths, I can do a cool trick with my shoulders