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Elton John as Harold?

posted 11 years ago by ThinkMuch
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In interviews throughout his career, Elton John has said he auditioned for (and was offered) the part of Harold back in 1970. He says he turned it down because at that point his music career was finally starting to take off. (He'd just released the album which contained 'Your Song', 'Border Song' & 'Take Me to the Pilot'.)

Elton's always been prone to exaggeration - so not sure if that "offered the part' portion is true. But - if it's true and he had taken the part - imagine how differently things could've turned out.

[–] sdckapr 11 years ago

Elton's always been prone to exaggeration - so not sure if that "offered the part' portion is true

In one of the commentary tracks on the DVD, Producter Charles B. Mulvehill "revealed that Ashby originally wanted Elton John to play the role of Harold as well as do the music but John wasn’t interested as Ashby later went with Bud Cort" http://thevoid99.blogspot.com/2012/12/harold-and-maude.html

[–] sdckapr 11 years ago

Some followup remarks. I was reading some of the biography of Hal Ashby [Being Hal Ashby : life of a Hollywood rebel by Nick Dawson. (2009). UPK Book Gallery. Book 6.http://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_book/6 ISBN 978-0-8131-2538-1] on Harold and Maude and in the book it states:

Casting Harold and Maude was a challenge to Ashby, but the bizarre nature of the material inspired some wild ideas for the unlikely romantic leads. For Harold, he was considering Richard Dreyfuss, Bob Balaban, and John Savage, then all promising unknowns. Also on his list were Bud Cort, who had just appeared in Robert Altman’s Brewster McCloud (1970); John Rubenstein[sic], for whom Higgins had written the part; and up-and-coming British pop star Elton John, whom Ashby had seen live and hoped might also do the music. page 122.

And later it is stated: "Elton John had dropped out of the running (but suggested Cat Stevens, a fellow Brit, for the music), but Bud Cort, John Rubenstein[sic], and Bob Balaban had made the final six" (page 124)