Cape Fear

Martin Scorsesehas ferment with a variety of actors , but so far , he has never worked withHarrison Ford , though he almost starred in one of his most controversial movies . Although Martin Scorsese is mostly known for his gangster flick , he has research a diversity of genre in his vocation as a movie maker . Like many other directors , Scorsese has also built his own lean of frequent quisling , but astonishingly , he has n’t worked with some of the swelled actors in the film industry .

Some of Scorsese ’s most frequent collaborators are Harvey Keitel , Robert De Niro , and Leonardo DiCaprio , and given Scorsese ’s success in dissimilar decades , it ’s surprising that he has n’t worked with many legendary actors . The long - awaited Scorsese / Al Pacino squad - up , for illustration , did n’t happen until 2019 inThe Irishman , and there are still many others that have n’t happened yet , though some were close to becoming a world at some point . Such is the case of Harrison Ford , who turned down a part in one of Scorsese ’s most acclaimed but also controversial projects : Cape Fear .

Harrison Ford Almost Starred In Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear

In the 1990s , Harrison Ford was get laid for playing heroical roles in sci - fi and legal action movies , such asStar Wars , Blade Runner , and the Indiana Jones films . When Martin Scorsese was working onCape fearfulness , he was interested in having Harrison Ford work Sam Bowden , and asked Robert De Niro to require Ford if he would be interested in . However , Ford sawCape Fearas an opportunity to shake off the image of an action mechanism hero and “ good guy ” , and instead of being concerned in playing Sam Bowden , he had limit his centre on the tale ’s unfit guy rope , Max Cady .

By then , De Niro was already cast as Max Cady , and Ford unwrap toThe Irish Timesin 1997 that he told De Niro that the only agency he would do Cape Fear was if they throw character : Ford would act Max Cady and De Niro would toy Sam Bowden . Of naturally , there was no room De Niro was going to give Max Cady up , so Ford did n’t joinCape Fear , and Nick Nolte was cast as Sam Bowden . free-base on the 1957 novelThe Executioners , by John D. MacDonald , Cape Feartells the chronicle of attorney and former public defender Sam Bowden as he ’s haunt by Max Cady , a red rapist try retaliation against Bowden for using purposefully faulty defense tactic during his trial that led to his 14 - class imprisonment .

Due to its tone and idea , Cape Fearis consider as Scorsese ’s only repugnance movie , and it further showed De Niro ’s performing skills , who delivered a truly terrifying performance as Max Cady . Harrison Ford was right in seeing Max Cady as a chance to ramify out and break the hero image he had convey for year , but it ’s also understandable that De Niro refused to give the lineament up .

Cape Fear Movie Poster

Other Big Roles Harrison Ford Turned Down

Of course , Sam Bowden inCape Fearisn’t the only big role that Harrison Ford has turned down . Among the most notable use Ford has said “ no ” to throughout his acting career are Benjamin Martin inThe Patriot , who was played by Mel Gibson ; Alan Grant inJurassic Park , which last to Sam Neill ; Paul Sheldon inMisery , who was play by James Caan ; and Bob Barnes inSyriana , played by George Clooney , a function that Ford once admitted to regret turning down . sure , rejecting all these roles did n’t have a negative impact onHarrison Ford ’s life history , but it would definitely be interesting to see him in aMartin Scorsesemovie .

Young Harrison Ford and Martin Scorsese

Cape Fear Nick Nolte Robert Deniro

Paul (Harrison Ford) sitting at a table with his cell phone looking annoyed in Shrinking

Cape Fear