Montgomery Clift Turned Down 'Rio Bravo' and 'High Noon,' Two of the Best Westerns of All Time

Some actors just have a magnetic on-screen presence that you cannot ignore. It's impossible to look away, even in the age of incessant scrolling. Old Hollywood icon Montgomery Clift fit that bill. Though relatively short-lived compared to his contemporaries, Clift's career was full of interesting roles. He specialized in the "sensitive, brooding" archetype, veering away from the "macho" portrayals of masculinity that ruled the roost during that time.

Shockingly, for a career spanning three decades, Clift only had 18 film credits. The actor was known for rejecting his fair share of roles throughout his tenure, notably critical darlings like Sunset Boulevard and On the Waterfront. He was incredibly selective in that regard and negotiated autonomy over his projects in his contract with Paramount. However, did you know that Clift also turned down two of the greatest Westerns of all time?

Clift's first major Hollywood role was in Howard Hawks' 1948 Western Red Riveropposite John Wayne. Hawks wanted to cast Clift in his 1959 Western, Rio Bravo, which also starred Wayne. Clift would've played the role of Dude, the "town drunk," as it were, which eventually went to Dean Martin.

The actor reportedly didn't want to work with Wayne and Walter Brennan again (Brennan was also in Red River) because they were both conservatives, and Clift was liberal and gay. He was also "repelled" by their forced "machismo" on the set of Red River. Instead, he suggested Martin, with whom he co-starred in 1958's The Young Lions, and Martin's agent reached out to Hawks.

As for High Noon, Clift wasn't the only one to turn down the role of Will Kane. Gary Cooper, who snagged the part, was also far from the second or even third choice. In addition to Clift, Hollywood heavy-hitters Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston, and Gregory Peck rejected the role. Even Wayne apparently didn't want it.

Clift loved playing characters that marched to the beat of their own drum. Complexity was his thing, and he excelled at it. Despite the list of his rejections outnumbering his actual roles, Clift still had some bangers: A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity, and The Misfits. He burned quickly and brightly, but he left an indelible mark on the world of cinema.

source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/this-iconic-old-hollywood-actor-turned-down-two-of-the-best-westerns-of-all-time