It is hard to imagine the 1999 movieThe Green Milewithout the central performance of Michael Clarke Duncan as gifted gentle giant John Coffey, but it seems that could have been a very real prospect had another multi-talented star had agreed to take on the role. On theMarchand and Ourandsports media podcast, Shaquille O’Neal spoke about how he was originally offered the role of Coffey, but he had his own reasons for turning down the part in what would go on to be an Oscar nominated film.
The Green Mileis based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, directed by Frank Darabont and features sterling performances by Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt and more. The the movie John Coffey is a southern Black man brought into Death Row for the murder of two girls, but as the story evolves, it turns out that Coffey is not the murderer he has been made out to be and is instead something much more than any of his guards are prepared for. One of the main themes of the movie is the racial prejudice that leads to so many believing Coffey is capable of murder, and it is that reason that O’Neal turned down the role.
Speaking on the podcast,Shaquille O’Nealrecalled how he didn’t want to play that character; someone who was subjected to such abuse because of the color of their skin. He also believed that there was a possibility that the role could lead to him being typecast in future, which was something he wanted to avoid. As it turns out, and while that would certainly have been a concern at the time, the role of John Coffey was so well written by King, and translated to screen by Darabont, that it tackled the dangerous and truest form of racial prejudice without ever seeming heavy handed, and Duncan’s performance in the role was one that rightly earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
However, O’Neal has no regrets about turning down the role as he concedes that he probably wouldn’t have been able to give the level of performance thatMichael Clark Duncanbrought to John Coffey. In the end there are some decisions in the movie world that just work out best for everyone, and in the long run this one seems to have been one of them. O’Neal ended up not taking on a role that he didn’t really want to do and could only bring so much to, and the movie was instead given one of the best performances of Michael Clarke Duncan’s career.
When it comes to O’Neal, it is also fair to say that his career has provided plenty of other projects, from music videos, to commercials as well as TV series and films that are all out there for fans of the formerNBAstar to enjoy over and over, without worrying too much that they missed out on seeing him inThe Green Mile. When it comes down to it, everything happens for a reason.
