Although Stanley Kubrick wrote one Dr. Strangelove role with John Wayne in mind, that did not stop the famous star from turning the part down. John Wayne’s Westerns remain his most famous movies, and the star certainly appeared in a lot of them. However, there was more to his screen career than just his most famous genre. Director John Ford’s iconic 1952 classic The Quiet Man gave Wayne a rare chance to show off his sense of humor in a gentle comedy story set in Ireland.
The infamously terrible war movie The Green Berets might be among the worst entries in the genre ever, but it was not Wayne’s only war movie. He also appeared in 1962’s epic The Longest Day and 1965’s In Harm’s Way alongside Kirk Douglas. Later in his career, Wayne appeared in 1975’s cop thriller Brannigan, bringing his macho screen persona to a whole new, more contemporary genre. However, Wayne’s choice of projects wasn’t always so wise. He turned down one of the most acclaimed satirical movies in cinema history without a second thought.
Why John Wayne Wouldn’t Do Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove
Wayne Dismissed The Satirical Comedy Movie Immediately
According to a Lee Hill interview with playwright and screenwriter Terry Southern, collected in Backstory 3: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 60s by Pat McGilligan, John Wayne turned down a role in Stanley Kubrick’s legendary anti-war satire Dr Strangelove. Per Southern, the part of the outspoken Texan army Major TJ “King” Kong was written “With Wayne as the model.” Interestingly, however, Wayne wasn’t the first actor approached about the part. Originally, Kubrick wanted comedy star Peter Sellers to play a fourth role in Dr. Strangelove as the Texan Major.
Sellers was already playing Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley, and the eponymous former Nazi himself, Dr. Strangelove. However, the star informed Kubrick and Southern via telegram that he couldn’t play a Texan since, according to Southern, “He said it was one accent he was never able to do.”
Although Wayne was approached about the role, Southern said he “Dismissed it immediately.”
Oddly enough, Kubrick and Southern successfully worked around this when Southern recorded his accent and Sellers imitated it. After all this effort, Sellers sprained his ankle and was unable to shoot Kong’s scenes involving climbing a ladder. Although Wayne was approached about the role, Southern said he “Dismissed it immediately.” The actor didn’t provide a reason, but a look at Dr. Strangelove’s ending provides one possible conclusion. Dr. Strangelove mocked US and UK tensions with Russia and China, painting a grim picture of the Cold War wherein everyone was corrupt, immature, and dangerously unhinged.
It’s Hard To Imagine John Wayne In A Stanley Kubrick Movie
Wayne’s Screen Presence Wouldn’t Have Fit The Tone of Kubrick’s Movie
As proven by his infamously awful The Green Berets, Wayne preferred his movies to have a distinctly pro-American flavor. In this regard, it is perhaps worth noting how the next actor approached about the role of Kong replied. TV star Dan Blocker was offered the part, but an immediate reply from his representative simply stated “It is too pinko for Mr. Blocker.” In modern parlance, Blocker felt the movie’s sympathies were too aligned with left-wing ideology, Communism, anti-military sentiments, and nuclear disarmament.
Wayne’s best war movie was an earnest epic drama while Dr. Strangelove was a scathing farce, about as far removed from Wayne’s typical choice of movie as a project could possibly be.
Wayne may have rejected a role in Dr. Strangelove based on similar political grounds, as none of the work in his lengthy screen CV is anywhere near as critical of American insтιтutions as Kubrick’s movie. Furthermore, it is hard to envision Wayne playing a role in Dr. Strangelove, whose barbed, cynical sense of humor flies in the face of Wayne’s stoic, simplistic hero image. Wayne’s best war movie was an earnest epic drama while Dr. Strangelove was a scathing farce, about as far removed from Wayne’s typical choice of movie as a project could possibly be.
Stanley Kubrick Did Make A Big John Wayne Reference In One Movie
Kubrick’s Later Anti-War Movie Full Metal Jacket Featured A Nod To Wayne
With its moral complexity and pitch-black sense of humor, Dr. Strangelove feels like the anтιтhesis of Wayne’s Hollywood era, with its straightforward heroes and villains. Kubrick’s work in general was more challenging and cerebral than Wayne’s output, and the critical and commercial success of Dr. Strangelove was another sign of Hollywood movies changing with the times as Wayne’s era came to a close.
That said, this doesn’t mean that Kubrick never got to mention Wayne’s work throughout his lengthy screen career. During one memorable scene from 1987’s brutal anti-war movie Full Metal Jacket, Matthew Modine’s Joker offers a stellar impression of Wayne. The repeated line ”Is that you, John Wayne?” is used to highlight the contrast between the heroic masculine ideal Wayne represented onscreen in his movies and the group of amoral, underemployed antiheroes Full Metal Jacket sends on a bloody misadventure. While Stanley Kubrick never got John Wayne for Dr. Strangelove, he still utilized the star’s recognizable screen persona.
Sources: Backstory 3: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 60s, Pat McGilligan (via Amazon)
