All round
Ed Harris recalls ‘foolishly’ turning down role in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Full Metal Jacket’
Ed Harris may have a long list of credits, but the acclaimed actor has revealed the one part he passed up that he definitely shouldn’t have.
The role of foul-mouthed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, which was ultimately performed by R Lee Ermey, was offered to the ‘Westworld’ actor, who has worked with the likes of James Cameron, Ron Howard, David Cronenberg, and Darren Aronfosky, among others.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Stanley Kubrick personally contacted Harris to give him the part of drill instructor in “Full Metal Jacket.” He turned down the job offer, and it’s no wonder that it’s one of his professional regrets.
“Stanley Kubrick called me up one day and asked me to play the sergeant in ‘Full Metal Jacket’, and I said no,” Harris remarked.
“(R Lee Ermey) was great and did a much better job than I would have done. But that always make me kind of go, ‘What were you thinking about?’ It might have been that I had a few too many beers that night. It was foolish,” he added.
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Harris had just completed appearances in Jonathan Demme’s “Swing Shift” and Robert Benton’s “Places in the Heart,” among other films, when Kubrick called. Kubrick had previously directed such masterpieces as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “A Clockwork Orange,” and “Barry Lyndon,” as well as “The Shining,” so it’s puzzling why Harris would reject him in the first place. Harris had no idea at the time that his sergeant part in “Full Metal Jacket” would become a classic.
Harris, who also appears in the Netflix film Kodachrome, reflected on his filmography, which includes Glengarry Glen Ross, Apollo 13, The Rock, and The Truman Show, among others.
“The thing was when I first started out as a younger guy, I was already losing my hair – and you weren’t a lead in a film if you didn’t have hair, period. So I would just try to get the most interesting part I could play in whatever it was.”
The role was given to R. Lee Ermey.
The 67-year-old actor recently returned to the role of William in ‘Westworld.’
In addition, he will appear in the Netflix original drama film “Kodachrome.”
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