Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks don’t appear to have much in common as actors, yet one of Cruise’s most celebrated movie roles, Jerry Maguire, was actually written for Hanks. The 1996 sports film sees Cruise play the titular character, a young agent who manages NFL football player Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. Cruise owns his central role in the movie, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the part. Nevertheless, Jerry Maguire was originally supposed to be Tom Hanks.
In the end, Hanks directed and starred in That Thing You Do!, which is about a rock band in the 1960s modeled after The Beatles, during the period that Jerry Maguire was produced. Ironically, in That Thing You Do! Hanks plays music agent Mr. White, who manages The Wonders to stardom. He could so easily have been playing another type of talent agent at that very moment if writer-director Cameron Crowe hadn’t instead settled on Tom Cruise for the role of Jerry Maguire inspired by real-life football agent Leigh Steinberg.
Jerry Maguire Was Originally Written For Tom Hanks, Not Tom Cruise
Writer-Director Cameron Crowe Started Writing Jerry Maguire With Hanks In Mind
Cameron Crowe had written the part of Jerry Maguire specifically with Tom Hanks in mind. According to the book Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others by Eila Mell, because Crowe took years finishing the script for the movie, by the time he was ready to make it he felt Hanks had become too old for the part. Hanks might feel a little aggrieved to hear this story, since he was only four years older than 35-year-old sports agent Maguire is in the film at the time it was shot.
Still, at the time this career-defining movie was made, Tom Cruise was almost exactly the same age as Jerry Maguire, and the role suited him down to the ground. Even so, Cruise wasn’t the first actor to be offered the lead role in Jerry Maguire.
According to a 2019 he gave to Esquire, Woody Harrelson was also offered the part but turned it down. Harrelson had previously worked with the movie’s co-producer James L. Brooks on his 1990 play Brooklyn Laundry, and Brooks asked him about the role of Jerry Maguire directly. Harrelson told him he didn’t think a movie about an agent would be much of a draw, much to his subsequent regret, as Jerry Maguire took $274 million at the box office and earned five Oscar nominations.
I Can't Imagine Jerry Maguire With Tom Hanks Instead Of Cruise
Cruise Defines The Role With His Heartfelt Career-High Performance
Despite having been written for Tom Hanks and offered to Woody Harrelson, it’s now impossible to imagine anyone but Tom Cruise playing Jerry Maguire. The inimitable chemistry that Cruise strikes up with Gooding Jr. throughout the movie surely could be topped by any other actor, even Tom Hanks. What’s more, Jerry’s earnest, hell-for-leather pep talks to Rod Tidwell, the level of dedication he shows to his biggest client, and, of course, his timeless declaration of love for Renée Zellweger’s Dorothy Boyd featuring one of Jerry Maguire’s best quotes, just wouldn’t sound the same coming from anyone else.
Tom Cruise gives arguably the most heartfelt, emotionally resonant performance of his career in Jerry Maguire.
Cuba Gooding Jr. might be the actor who steals the show in Jerry Maguire, and he predictably won an Oscar for his portrayal of Tidwell. But Tom Cruise is the lynchpin that holds the movie together, as he gives arguably the most heartfelt, emotionally resonant performance of his career. Cruise’s role as Jerry also helped Zellweger, whose audition to play Dorothy was easily the biggest of her career to that point. Just as Cruise was far from the first in line to play Jerry, she too faced stiff competition for her role.
Other Actors Who Were Almost Cast In Jerry Maguire
Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr. And Kelly Preston Nearly Didn’t Get Cast
No fewer than five actresses with far higher profiles than Renée Zellweger were considered for the role of Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire. Winona Ryder, Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, Patricia Arquette, and Bridget Fonda were all close to getting the part at one point or another. Mira Sorvino was the closest, however, as she was chosen by Crowe and Brooks before her casting reportedly fell through due to disagreements over her acting fee.
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What’s more, Cuba Gooding Jr. wasn’t the only actor up for the part of Tidwell. He eventually won out over Daman Wayans and Mykelti Williamson. Gooding Jr.’s casting in his best movie role was vindicated as he won Academy and SAG Awards for his portrayal of the football star.
Meanwhile, Kelly Preston fought off competition from Diane Lane for the part of Avery in Jerry Maguire, and director Billy Wilder turned the movie down after Cameron Crowe asked him to play Dicky Fox. The team behind the casting of the movie ended up getting their decisions spot on, as it’s the strong onscreen performances all-round that really bring Jerry Maguire to life.
Sources: Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others; Esquire