The Oscar-winning role Cary Grant refused to play: “I knew there would be a backlash” - Far Out Magazine
The Hollywood acting legend Cary Grant once turned down a role in a musical that would win Rex Harrison an Oscar.
(Credits: Far Out / Wikimedia)
Film » Cutting Room Floor
Wed 12 February 2025 3:30, UK
The golden age of Hollywood introduced us to many enduring screen icons, with Cary Grant becoming one of the most recognisable faces in cinema history. He appeared in many incredible productions throughout his career, which began when he was just a teenager, starring in vaudeville troupes as a multi-talented performer.
From stand-up comedy to pantomime, it was during the early years of his career – before he’d even starred in a film – that he discovered what it took to become an accomplished actor. Vaudeville led to theatre, where Grant demonstrated his singing and dancing chops, eventually allowing the actor to break into the film industry.
Grant made his debut film performance in 1932’s This Is The Night, although it wouldn’t be long before he was landing jobs at a fast rate, appearing in movies like Merrily We Go To Hell, Blonde Venus, The Woman Accused, and I’m No Angel. Grant even appeared as Mock Turtle in an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, donning a costume that obscured him, leaving many viewers unaware that under that turtle head was actually a future Hollywood legend.
However, Grant was much more selective with his roles than this turn in Alice in Wonderland might have suggested. The actor would go on to appear in many acclaimed titles, carefully selecting films that would later become stone-cold classics. From North By Northwest to Bringing Up Baby, Charade, His Girl Friday, and The Philadelphia Story, the actor has one of the most impressive filmographies in cinema history.
Yet, Grant actually turned down a movie that would go on to win eight Academy Awards, including one for the actor who played the role he disregarded. Grant didn’t simply pass up the opportunity to star in the film because he thought it was going to be a failure, though – his decision was because of quite the opposite.
Grant was offered the part of Professor Henry Higgins in 1964’s My Fair Lady, directed by George Cukor. The movie was to star Audrey Hepburn, too, with whom Grant had just appeared in Charade, but the actor just didn’t feel as though it was right for him to take on a role he thought belonged to someone else.
In Conversations With Classic Film Stars, Grant explained, “It was Rex Harrison’s part. He’d done it on Broadway. And I was sorely tempted. Jack Warner offered me $1 million plus a piece of the action. And the costars were to be Audrey Hepburn and Jimmy Cagney. When Jimmy refused to come out of retirement, I had my reason for not signing.”
He continued, “I knew there would be a backlash, and Audrey felt it. I told Jack, ‘Not only will I not do it, but if you don’t use Rex, I even won’t go to see it.’”
Thus, Harrison was cast in the role, playing a posh scholar who makes it his mission to teach Hepburn’s Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney, how to speak ‘properly’. A musical tale of class, sexism, and language, the film won ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars, with Harrison taking home his first Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’.
Related Topics
Academy AwardsAudrey HepburnCary GrantHollywoodOscars
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