Robert De Niro is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest actor of all time.
And for good reason. He has starred in some of the best films ever made and formed a strong connection with director Martin Scorsese.
They made 10 feature films together, with the most notable ones being Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Casino and, most recently, Killers of the Flower Moon.
One director De Niro never starred in a movie for, however, was the great Rob Reiner. There wasn’t necessarily a reason for that. Their paths simply never crossed.
However, De Niro once had a chance to appear in one of Reiner’s classics when he was approached to play Paul Sheldon in the 1990 thriller Misery, which was based on a Stephen King novel.
De Niro, along with several other prominent actors, turned down the role. James Caan eventually accepted the part, and the film went on to become one of the greatest thrillers of all time with Caan and Kathy Bates playing the lead roles.
The IMDb movie description reads, “After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.”
Why Did De Niro Turn Misery Down?
De Niro ultimately decided to turn down the role of Sheldon because he felt the character was a bit too passive, and he had a point. Bates’ Annie Wilkes is remembered as the film’s standout character, and she even won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.
Al Pacino also turned down the role for the exact same reason as De Niro. Other actors Reiner approached included Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Douglas, Gene Hackman and Harrison Ford before Caan ultimately stepped in.
Misery Considered One of the Greatest Thrillers Ever Released
Holding an impressive 86% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 7.8 out of 10 rating on IMDb, Misery has stood the test of time.
It’s not only one of the most acclaimed films of Reiner’s directorial career, but also one of the best thriller movies ever released.
Misery ranks No. 4 on Collider’s list of the most suspenseful thrillers and No. 86 on Time Out’s list of the 100 best thriller movies of all time.
Related: Michael Douglas Shares Heartbreaking Details of His Friendship With Rob Reiner
