Before assembling Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to star in 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, director Dough Liman had numerous other stars in his mind to star alongside Pitt in the action flick. Following in the footsteps of Stanley Kubrick, who was known for hiring a real-life couple involving Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut, Liman had a similar idea for his movie.
But despite of hiring real-life couples, the director had a different approach towards Mr. & Mrs. Smith and revealed that they had ideas of attaching one of Brad Pitt’s exes to the role of Jane Smith.
Gwyneth Paltrow was the initial choice for the role of Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Following the premise of the movie, which follows a couple who are trying to kill each other, Liman explained that hiring Gwyneth Paltrow, who had a long history with Pitt would have been great for the film. Considering that the duo almost got married but eventually called off their engagement back in 1997, bringing Paltrow into the mix could have added another dynamic to the movie according to the director. Liman explained his reasoning by stating,
“I had been interested in casting Gwyneth Paltrow opposite Brad Pitt. Because they’re really exes. Think of the spectacle of that. Fireworks could really fly in that situation. Because I’m sure there’s some s— one of them was mad at the other one for. You find out what that baggage is and bring it out at the right moment, with the camera rolling”
However, this idea was later scrapped after one of the producers wasn’t sold on the concept and expressed that it wouldn’t have been a good decision from a moral standpoint.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s director realized that involving Brad Pitt’s ex wasn’t a good idea
Although the idea of comprising Brad Pitt‘s ex in the movie to add another layer to the big-budget action flick sounds appealing, however, one of the producers wasn’t keen on the idea. Even though they admitted that it would have been great for the movie, it wasn’t the best thing for Brad Pitt and even if was in for the game, it wasn’t morally right. Liman explained the whole situation by stating,
“My producers were like, Look, that’s a great idea. But Brad is a human being. Even if he was game for it, it’s wrong for us to put him in a situation where he’s going to have to relive the demons of a relationship. That’s just a little bit too mad-scientist.”
But eventually, it appears that things worked out for the best as it is now hard to imagine anyone in the role of Jane Smith except Angelina Jolie and the movie also turned out as a big hit for the studios.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
