Summary
Denzel Washington’s critically acclaimedAmerican Gangster, with a score of 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, featured a star-studded cast, but a key actor swap changed the movie’s dynamic entirely. In the 2007 thriller with an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Washington played a renowned drug lord, Frank Lucas, who was targeted by smaller gangs for his monopoly on the drug trade. Trying to catch him for his crimes was a detective named Richie Roberts. In the movie, Detective Roberts was played by Russell Crowe, but as it turns out, he easily could have been portrayed by someone else.
While speaking atCollider’sSan Diego Comic-Conpanel, the original director of the film, Antoine Fuqua,mentioned that he was “a couple of weeks away from filming” when their plan for Roberts was evaluated. Apparently, Universal made changes to the movie because they “couldn’t come to an understanding of the budget or cast.“Fuqua had already cast Denzel Washingtonand a different actor as Roberts, which ultimately altered the film’s dynamic when the new director, Ridley Scott, changed Fuqua’s pick for the role.
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Benicio Del Toro Was Supposed To Play Roberts Opposite Denzel Washington In American Gangster
Antoine Fuqua said at the SDCC panel that he had cast Benicio Del Toro, known for his role as Alejandro Gillick in theSicariomovies, alongside Denzel, claiming that was “what [he] wanted it to be.” However, Ridley Scott replaced Del Toro with Russell Crowe. Benicio Del Toro has never spoken publicly about the replacement, so it’s safe to assume that the creative differences and budgetary issues were the main reasons for the casting replacement and not anything behind the scenes.
Despite being replaced, Benicio Del Toro still benefited financially fromAmerican Gangster.According toEntertainment Weekly, his pay-or-play contract ensured he received $5 million even though he didn’t star in the film. Russell Crowe was paid a high amount for the role, and his casting significantly impacted the movie, given his very different acting style from Del Toro, which has led to mixed opinions on the outcome of the change.
Benicio Del Toro Replacing Russell Crowe Would’ve Totally Changed American Gangster
Del Toro’s Acting Performances In His Biggest Movies Are More Subtle Compared To Crowe’s.
If Benicio Del Toro had replaced Russell Crowe as Detective Roberts, the character’s dynamic with Denzel Washington’s Frank Lucas would have shifted significantly. Del Toro might have brought a more nuanced, morally ambiguous edge, similar to his role as Alejandro inSicarioand Jaiver Rodriguez inTraffic. His experience playing anti-heroes could have contrasted sharply with the morally upstanding Roberts, offering a unique take on the detective’s pursuit of justice and his relationship with Lucas.
Russell Crowe, by comparison, played a similar cop character with the same assertive personality as Richie Roberts. InL.A. Confidential, he played Bud White, a hot-headed detective on a similar mission to expose corruption within his department. This made his casting inAmerican Gangsterfeel predictable and like a safe choice, so, Benicio Del Toro’s casting would’ve been more interesting. But whetherAmerican Gangsterwould have its current standing as one ofDenzel Washington’s best movies, will never be known.
American Gangster
Cast
American Gangster is a 2007 crime film directed by Ridley Scott, featuring Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin in Harlem, and Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, the detective determined to bring him down. The film explores the rise of Lucas in the drug trade and the eventual intersection of their lives amidst the backdrop of a corrupt and morally complex society.
