Elizabeth Perkins says Robert De Niro was originally cast as Tom Hanks’ character in Big. The 1988 comedy-drama follows a 12-year-old, Josh Baskin, who wishes to be “big;” turning him into a 30-year-old man (Hanks). In its most iconic scene, Josh meets the owner of MacMillan Toy Company and the duo performs “Heart and Soul” and “Chopsticks” on a foot-operated keyboard, leading to a promotion testing new toys. Eventually, Josh learns that living as an adult isn’t as glamorous as he thought it’d be and longs to return to his life as a boy.

Thanks to an endearingly goofy portrayal of a boy in a man’s body, Hanks earned his first Oscar nomination for Big. The film solidified his status as a Hollywood A-lister and was arguably the launching pad for a career that would give us the likes of Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Toy Story, Cast Away, and Apollo 13. It’s virtually impossible to think of Big and not picture Hanks in the lead role; however, the original choice for the film’s lead was another, and almost polar-opposite, Oscar winner.

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In an interview on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Perkins, who played Hanks’ love interest, revealed that Robert De Niro was originally cast as Big’s main character. In fact, Perkins actually auditioned with De Niro for what would’ve been a very different experience:

“Robert De Niro was actually cast in the role of Josh in the movie Big. It fell apart because he had a scheduling conflict, and then they went to Tom Hanks. It’s like a totally different movie in my brain with Robert De Niro. He was more moody. It was more of a — a little more of a horror movie…what Tom Hanks brought to it was so much lighter.”

The same year Big came out, De Niro played a bounty hunter in Midnight Run. At the time, he was in his forties and an already-established actor known for award-winning roles in films like The Godfather: Part II and Raging Bull. That said, he was (and still is) known for starring in complex character studies and/or crime dramas—Big certainly would’ve had an entirely different feel had De Niro stayed aboard. A different approach may have worked (Taxi Driver-esque with a twist?) but it certainly wouldn’t have produced the classic fans know and love.

Since Big, Hanks has built a reputation for being one of the industry’s most likable and prolific stars. While similarly prolific, De Niro has cultivated a tough-guy/gangster persona; being more likely to ask for someone’s lunch money than perform a duet on an electric keyboard. However, as two of the greatest actors of all time, both have exhibited an ability to contradict typecasting. Even though De Niro has proven he can do comedy (especially in recent years), it’s probably a good thing this casting decision didn’t pan out.

Source: Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen

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Josh Plainse
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Josh Plainse is a writer, movie, and television fanatic based out of Wisconsin. Josh works for Screen Rant covering the latest in entertainment while simultaneously pursuing the never-ending dream of becoming an established novelist, screenwriter, and/or decent human being. Josh would accredit characters such as Goku, Han Solo, Simba, and Maximus Decimus Meridius for instilling within him an affinity for storytelling. It is this incessant obsession which has propelled him to seek opportunities that inform, entertain, and inspire others.

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