Adapting Stephen King’s literary creations into cinematic experiences poses a formidable challenge. King’s narratives are characterized by intricate personas, distinctive settings, and outright surreal tales. Remarkably, Frank Darabont appears to have cracked the code. Bruce Willis even went out of his way to secure a role for his friend in his film. The mastermind behind The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist not only succeeded in breathing life into one of King’s most profound works but also clinched a coveted Best Picture Oscar nomination for his effort.
Always at the forefront of publishing trends, Stephen King unveiled The Green Mile in 1996, presented as a serialized novel in six parts. Narrated from the perspective of Paul Edgecomb, a death row prison guard during the Great Depression, the tale is fundamentally centered on John Coffey. Coffey, an imposing and seemingly simple yet magical African American man, finds himself unjustly accused of the rape and murder of two young white girls.
Bruce Willis Helped His Friend Land A Coveted Role
Regarded affectionately by those who knew him, the late Michael Clarke Duncan embodied the concept of a gentle giant. In many ways, he stood as the living embodiment of the fictional character John Coffey. With an imposing 6-foot-4 stature, a commanding presence, and his distinctive deep, velvety voice, Duncan seemed to step out from Stephen King’s pages as the remarkable John Coffey. Yet, even with these striking parallels, a touch of serendipity played its role in bringing it all together.
Reported by EW, Bruce Willis emerges as a devoted aficionado of Stephen King’s work, even having taken the stage in a 2015 Broadway rendition of Misery. During their collaboration on the 1998 film Armageddon, Willis discovered the unfolding production of The Green Mile while working alongside Duncan. In that era, Willis held the status of a blockbuster phenomenon, while Duncan navigated Hollywood as a relatively lesser-known actor. Amid his on-screen heroics as Harry Stamper, Willis concurrently championed his co-star, Duncan, attuned to the emergence of The Green Mile.
Within the documentary Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile, Duncan attributes a life-changing role to Willis. In his own words, Duncan expressed:
“Bruce Willis was the main person that first told me about ‘The Green Mile.’ He said, ‘Michael, they’re gonna be making a movie about this dude named John Coffey.’ He said, ‘I’m gonna call Frank Darabont and tell him that I found John Coffey.””
However, despite the striking physical resemblances to the character, Duncan’s fit for the role wasn’t guaranteed.
Bruce Willis Owes His Career To An Action Legend
Imagining someone other than Bruce Willis in his iconic Die Hard role presents a formidable task. Intriguingly, the film serves as a follow-up to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando, and the character initially found its way to Bruce Willis after being turned down by Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, and Richard Gere.
Due to Schwarzenegger’s towering ’80s fame, his presence was a fixture in casting considerations. Despite his widespread acclaim as a seven-time Mr. Olympia, he harbored a yearning to temporarily shift gears away from action, choosing to venture into comedy with the film Twins.
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Source: EW
