Director Rejected Paul Newman for Ryan O'Neal in Oscar-Winning Film
Peter Bogdanovich refused to work with Hollywood's biggest star in the 1970s, choosing Ryan O'Neal instead for Paper Moon. The decision changed Oscar history and launched Tatum O'Neal's career.
During the 1970s, Paul Newman stood as Hollywood's golden boy. Studios fought for his signature. Directors begged for meetings. The man had collected five Oscar nominations and starred in massive hits like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Newman picked his projects carefully, making each one an instant prestige picture.
Yet one director wanted nothing to do with him.
The Original Plan Falls Apart
Paramount bought the rights to Joe David Brown's novel Addie Pray and retitled it Paper Moon. John Huston signed on to direct first. Fresh off working with Newman on The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Huston wanted the star back immediately. The plan seemed perfect: Newman would play Moses Pray, while his real daughter Elinor would star as Addie Loggins.
Elinor had already appeared in small roles under the stage name Nel Potts. She'd worked alongside her parents in Rachel, Rachel and The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Newman saw Paper Moon as another family project.
Then Huston walked away. Peter Bogdanovich stepped in as replacement director.
Bogdanovich Makes His Choice
The new director had different ideas entirely. He didn't want Newman or his daughter anywhere near the set. Bogdanovich preferred Ryan O'Neal for the lead role instead.
"I think it's the best work Ryan O'Neal's done," Bogdanovich later told Alex Simon. "That wonderful laugh he came up with, that cackle, was just wonderful. Paramount owned the property originally and had John Huston lined up to direct with Paul Newman and his daughter to star. Then they wanted me to direct, but I didn't particularly want to do it with Paul. I wanted to do it with Ryan, so that's what happened."
Behind the scenes, Bogdanovich apparently made his position crystal clear to studio executives. Work with O'Neal or find another director. Paramount chose Bogdanovich.
History Gets Rewritten
Newman never publicly discussed getting dropped from the project. He rarely aired personal grievances in interviews or the press. But the switch changed everything for both families involved.
Ryan O'Neal got the role of Moses Pray. His 10-year-old daughter Tatum joined the cast as Addie. The film became a massive success, earning 15 times its budget at the box office.
More importantly, Tatum O'Neal won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She became the youngest person ever to win a competitive acting award. That record still stands today.
Had things gone differently, Nell Newman might have been the one holding that golden statue instead. The Newman family missed out on both a hit movie and Oscar history because one director simply preferred working with someone else.