Paul Newman?
Didn't Tom and Newman basically came up with the idea for the movie? I wonder if Newman was ever consider for Robert Duvill's role
sharePaul Newman was well-known for his love of auto racing - he raced as a younger man and owned his own racing team. Newman and Cruise worked together on 'The Color of Money' and got along real well. Newman helped introduce Cruise to the world of auto racing and Cruise developed a passion for auto racing himself. As a result, Cruise came up with the idea of doing a NASCAR film and pitched it to Bruckheimer/Simpson/Scott - the same guys who did 'Top Gun'. That's why Tom Cruise got a credit for the story - however, I don't believe Paul Newman had anymore direct influence than that.
I wouldn't replace Duvall here for anyone, but Newman is probably the only other actor who could've done the role justice. He or Gene Hackman.
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