Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 Las Vegas heist film “Ocean’s Eleven” is an entire lot of enjoyable. Taking cues from the unique 1960 movie of the identical title, which starred the Rat Pack as numerous expert criminals working with con artist and thief Danny Ocean, “Ocean’s Eleven” is among the final heist flicks of all time. A giant a part of what makes it work, other than Soderbergh’s expert route and a whip-smart script (courtesy of Soderbergh and co-writer Ted Griffin), is the unimaginable solid who encompass George Clooney’s model of Danny Ocean. His group is made up of Brad Pitt as his greatest pal Rusty, Bernie Mac as conman and playing fanatic Frank, Elliott Gould as former on line casino proprietor Reuben Tishkoff, Don Cheadle as explosives skilled Basher Tarr, Casey Affleck and Scott Caan as mechanics Virgil and Turk Malloy, Quin Shaobo as acrobat “The Wonderful” Yen, Eddie Jemison as tech skilled Livingston Dell, Carl Reiner as con man Saul Bloom, and Matt Damon as pickpocket Linus Caldwell. These eleven males assist Danny rob Vegas on line casino proprietor Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), and it is an absolute blast.
“Ocean’s Eleven” was so profitable that it spawned two sequels and a spin-off, with lots of the stars reprising their roles for a minimum of “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s 13,” together with Clooney, Pitt, and Damon. When the gang was all being assembled within the first place, nevertheless, Damon’s function almost went to another very high-profile actors, together with Johnny Depp and hamburger salesman Mark Wahlberg.
Depp and Wahlberg have been each provided the function of Linus and turned it down
On the 2023 TCM Traditional Movie Pageant (through the Unbiased), Soderbergh and Clooney talked in regards to the troubled highway to manufacturing for “Ocean’s Eleven,” which noticed lots of casting shuffles earlier than it even began filming. Actors who needed to work with Soderbergh on the venture needed to drop out because of scheduling conflicts and looming guild strikes, together with Bruce Willis and Luke and Owen Wilson, after which there have been some who, in keeping with Clooney, simply weren’t in any respect:
“Steven had simply achieved ‘Erin Brockovich’ and ‘Site visitors,’ and he was nominated for steering each movies. So, folks actually needed to work with Steven. […] Some very well-known folks instructed us to f*** proper off. Mark Wahlberg, Johnny Depp. There have been others. They remorse it now.”
Based on Selection, Mark Wahlberg was really compelled to again out as a result of he had a dedication to movie Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” remake, so it sounds much less like he simply turned it all the way down to be impolite and extra like he had different (admittedly much less cool) engagements. The commerce famous that Damon was in talks to take the function on the level, however that there have been considerations he won’t have the ability to as a result of he was set to star in “The Bourne Identification.” What a tremendous time, the flip of the millennium. Depp would not be in something huge till 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,” nevertheless it appears he wasn’t keen on showing in “Ocean’s Eleven” and, to cite Clooney, instructed them to “f*** proper off.” Fortunately, Damon was completely excellent for the function, and the opposite two weren’t.
Damon was in the end the precise decide for Linus
Whereas now we have to take Clooney’s phrase for the truth that Wahlberg and Depp regretted not taking the function, it’s fairly doable given the success of the “Ocean’s” movies and Damon’s continued function in not solely Soderbergh’s trilogy, however his filmography as an entire. He is a giant a part of the underrated “Ocean’s Twelve” and actually, he is an ideal a part of the solid, balancing out Clooney/Danny’s smarminess and Pitt/Rusty’s form of reckless cool. Damon is nice at taking part in the unassuming nerd who’s really type of a badass, and he is smart as one of many world’s greatest pickpockets. In any case, he is pretty unremarkable-looking, and when he is dressed plainly, nobody goes to be being attentive to whether or not or not he is only a hair too shut.
Neither Wahlberg nor Depp may pull off the function the identical means, as Wahlberg is a bit too tough across the edges and Depp is just too odd, particularly at that interval in his profession. This was “Sleepy Hole” and “The Ninth Gate” Johnny Depp, of us, who’s a reasonably far cry from boy-next-door Matt Damon.
Ultimately, all of it labored out for one of the best, no matter whether or not or not Clooney is true about their regrets. And so far as his regrets? He instructed the group, “I remorse doing f***ing Batman.” We all know, George. We all know.
