WASHINGTON: George Clooney recently confirmed reports that both Mark Wahlberg and Johnny Depp were approached to play Linus in the first instalment of Steven Soderbergh’s iconic franchise ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. The role eventually went to Matt Damon.
The film’s A-list cast also included Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia and Don Cheadle, among others.
As reported by Hollywood Reporter, Clooney said during an Ocean’s Eleven panel at the 2023 TCM Film Festival. “Steven had just done Erin Brockovich and Traffic, and he was nominated for directing both films. So, people really wanted to work with Steven,” he said.
“That said, some people did say no to us,” Soderbergh cheekily said. “They did,” Clooney replied, adding, “Some very famous people told us to f*** right off. Mark Wahlberg, Johnny Depp. There were others. They regret it now. I regret doing f***** Batman.”
While multiple actors turned down roles in the film, convincing Roberts for the film was a quite task for Clooney. He recalled how he convinced the actress to star alongside him in Ocean’s.
“We sent Julia a script, and I wrote a note saying, ‘I hear you get USD 20 [million] a picture now,'” he remembered. “And we sent her a USD 20 bill. … It made her laugh, and yes, she jumped right on board.”
The film’s success prompted to two sequels Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) with the original cast, as well as female spinoff Ocean’s 8 (2018), which starred Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson and Awkwafina.
A prequel is in active development at Warner Bros. from Jay Roach, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in talks to star. (ANI)