The legendary actorJohn Wayneturned down a role in Robert Rossen’s 1949 filmAll the King’s Men, and he even missed out on an Oscar because of it. There areeight John Wayne movies that defined his career, but he could have had a ninth. For most of his decades-long career, Wayne played cowboys and soldiers, and more often than not he played the unambiguous hero.All the King’s Men, however, gave him a chance to play a role completely out of his comfort zone, and John Wayne turned it down.
Though he was mostly known for the long list of thebest John Wayne Westerns, the Duke was offered a chance to play an Oscar-winning role as a politician.All the King’s Mendirector Robert Rossen originally offered Wayne the role of Willie Stark, but he turned it down and Broderick Crawford took the part instead (viaHollywood’s Golden Age).All the King’s Menwent on to be wildly successful, and it was based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, so it seemed like a surefire bet come awards season. It’s not immediately clear why Wayne turned the film down, but he had his reasons.
John Wayne Believed All The King’s Men Was An Unpatriotic Movie
Wayne Said All The King’s Men “Throws Acid On The American Way Of Life”
John Wayne had a fairly simple, if somewhat over-exaggerated, reason not to appear inAll the King’s Men.Wayne believed the film was unpatriotic that undermined traditional American values and, in his words, “throws acid on the American way of life,"(viaFar Out Magazine).
“[All the King’s Men] smears the machinery of government for no purpose of humor or enlightenment… degrades all relationships… and throws acid on the American way of life.”
It’s fairly clear to see why Wayne took such exception toAll the King’s Men.The film follows Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) as he goes from a starry-eyed political hopeful with dreams of bringing honesty and transparency to government to a cynical, deeply corrupt politician who would do anything to stay in power.All the King’s Menis even thought to be inspired by a real-life American politician, Huey Long, the governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and then a senator until he was assassinated in 1935. It didn’t paint a flattering picture of the American government, and Wayne took issue with that fact.
All The King’s Men Could Have Won John Wayne An Oscar (But It Beat Him Instead)
Broderick Crawford Beat John Wayne For Best Actor In 1949
Despite how much John Wayne dislikedAll the King’s Men, critics and audiences didn’t agree with him, and it ended up costing him dearly. At the 1949 Academy Awards, Wayne was nominated for Best Actor for playing Sergeant John Stryker inSands of Iwo Jima.He didn’t win, however, as the Oscar actually went to Broderick Crawford for playing Willie Stark - the same part Wayne was offered - inAll the King’s Men. Stryker was the main character of one ofJohn Wayne’s best war movies, so he not only missed out on an Oscar-winning role, he had another Oscar-worthy role snubbed by it.
10 Most Rewatchable John Wayne Movies, Ranked
Discover the top John Wayne films that stand the test of time, showcasing iconic performances and action-packed storytelling.
Unfortunately for Wayne, he didn’t just lose out onAll the King’s Menin 1949. Since it was originally released,All the King’s Menhas gone on to have an enduring legacy. It was selected for the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 2001, and it will be indefinitely preserved because it’s “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Even though it had a long shelf life,All the King’s Menwasn’t a major blemish onJohn Wayne’s filmography - eight of his films are in the National Film Archive - and he’s still the Duke of legend.
