The cast is already full of stars. Django Unchained Kurt Russell could have appeared in a major role. After playing the psychopathic driver in Quentin Tarantino's film Death Proof And before collaborating again with The Hateful Eight Play as beloved bounty hunter John Roth., Russell was originally supposed to appear in Django Unchained As a more evil character.
In the original text of Django UnchainedRussell was originally set to play Ace Woody, who worked under main antagonist Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), training slaves to fight to the death. He would have been one of the many who rightfully fell to Django's righteous vengeance as another villain working to preserve Candyland. Russell certainly has the acting chops to portray such a villainous character, but the role was probably doomed from the start, given the amount of behind-the-scenes changes that took place.
Russell wasn't the only actor to pull out of playing Ace Woody in Django UnchainedAs The Guardian previously reported, Kevin Costner was Tarantino's first choice to star in the film but dropped out, leading to Russell joining the film.The role seemed too dark for the veterans, who have made their careers playing likable but tough characters. But not for Walton Goggins, who ended up inheriting much of what Ace Woody represented in his role as Billy Crash. Russell's absence was in Django Unchained The film is balanced by the always-terrific Goggins, whose initially minor character becomes more important in the absence of Ace Woody, who was cut from the final script.
Django Unchained Didn't Need Kurt Russell After All
Walton Goggins plays Billy Crash, the slave trainer and overseer of the Candyland plantation. Goggins nailed the role, making Billy Crash as unlikeable as possible in the moments he was on screen. His torture of Django (Jamie Foxx) in the barn was particularly disturbing, and set the stage for Django’s satisfying revenge near the end of the film. Despite being a natural fit, Goggins simply wasn’t given the role.
In what he described as the beginning of one of the best experiences of his life, Goggins somehow convinced Tarantino to read for almost every role. During his audition for the film, Goggins didn't even care if he didn't get one of the roles he read for; what mattered most was the chance to read Tarantino's words in front of him. It was a dream for him to be in that position, no matter the outcome. Of course, his passion eventually landed him the role of Billy Crash, which then turned into Russell's replacement in the film for Ace Woody.
Goggins didn't get to share the screen with Kurt Russell in Django UnchainedBut he starred alongside him in The Hateful Eight As one of the film's leads, Chris Mannix is certainly a step up from his previous portrayal of the evil slave trainer. It's some of his best acting work to date, which is saying a lot considering the array of great performances Goggins has delivered since then. Django Unchained And his distinguished role in the FX series justification.
