Michael Douglas' Oscar-Winning Role Was Offered to Beatty and Gere

Michael Douglas recently revealed that Oliver Stone first offered the role of Gordon Gekko to Warren Beatty and then Richard Gere, both of whom passed, before the part landed with him. He said he only learned of that casting history decades after making Wall Street while preparing to revisit the film at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

Douglas said he was "really happy" to get the role and was excited to bring the heart to Gekko. He suggested Stone chose him because he had some business acumen, worked as a producer, grew up in New York City, attended the Allen Stevenson School and other prep schools, and understood the East Coast lifestyle and the people involved with Wall Street.

Early in filming Stone delivered blunt criticism, even knocking on Douglas's trailer to ask if he had been taking drugs and saying the actor looked like he'd never been on a movie set. Stone pushed Douglas to watch the dailies — something Douglas usually avoided — and deliberately provoked him to raise his performance.

United States, New York City

michael douglas, gordon gekko, oliver stone, warren beatty, richard gere, wall street, tcm classic, casting history, dailies, producer