The power play that ruled over the sets of one of the best films to have been ever made for the silver screens is a story rarely orated in public. Both Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks played a part in getting The Shawshank Redemption to where it currently stands today, and although their contribution was much more selfish in essence, it did come out the other end as one of the greatest pieces of art in cinematic history.

The movie now owns the unequivocal right to be called a near-perfect film that would have failed to work if any of its elements were replaced for another, even if it meant standing against everything one believed was better for the film at the time.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption Director’s Irredeemable Quality

The conception of The Shawshank Redemption is a tale full of inspiration as well as disbelief. Ranging from the scale and magnitude of things that went awry during the infantile stages of the film’s pre-production to its grand and immortalized reception at the box office, Shawshank manages to strike a chord across generations for its perennial, everlasting beauty and brilliant ingenuity that makes the film such an indescribable work of art.

However, speaking of things that could have gone horribly awry, the movie was never meant to have Tim Robbins as the timid leading man Frank Dufresne. It may now be hard to imagine anyone other than Robbins playing the role of the soft-spoken Every Man not cut out for a life behind bars or even murder, by the looks of his frail and pasty countenance. And yet, the film’s producer, Rob Reiner believed with all his might and conviction that Tom Cruise was the way to go.

Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption

According to reports, Reiner went so far as to offer the film’s director a huge sum of money to step down as director or to let Cruise come on board and even claimed that the studio would fully finance whatever project he chose to make in his directorial debut instead, but fortunately for everyone involved, Frank Darabont couldn’t be swayed. He managed to shut down Reiner saying, “You can continue to defer your dreams in exchange for money and die without ever having done the thing you set out to do.” 

Reiner, in turn, informed Cruise (who was rather enthusiastic about taking on the role) that the director’s vision took precedence, and the Mission: Impossible star, who wasn’t too sure about working with a first-time director walked away from the project without putting up too much of a fight. The Shawshank Redemption raked in 7 Academy Award nominations in total at the ’95 Oscars.

Tom Hanks Turned Down Shawshank For Forrest GumpTom Hanks in The Green Mile (1999)

Yet another one of the more iconic films in the Hollywood roster lies Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks. The script of The Shawshank Redemption having passed over from Tom Cruise also found its way to the other in-demand A-lister of the 90s and despite having an eye for good scripts, Hanks had to turn down the role due to scheduling conflicts with what would turn out to be his career’s magnum opus role as Forrest Gump in the eponymous movie.

Although Tom Hanks was not so blatantly direct as to walk away from the film for not believing in the director’s vision, the veteran actor did show his support for Darabont by starring in his next film, The Green Mile in 1999. The movie went on to earn four Academy Award nominations.

Source: Vanity Fair