Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Westworld star Ed Harris reveals which famous Stanley Kubrick role he 'foolishly' turned down

The 67-year-old Westworld star reflected upon his career in a brand new interview

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 03 May 2018 09:58 BST
Comments
R Lee Ermey plays iconic drill sergeant role in opening of Full Metal Jacket

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Ed Harris may have an extensive list of credits to his name but the esteemed actor has revealed the one role he turned down which he probably shouldn't have.

The American star, who currently appears as William - otherwise known as the Man in Black - in HBO series Westworld, recounted how Stanley Kubrick once offered him a role in his 1987 Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket only to turn the filmmaker down.

If he'd have accepted, Harris would have played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, the drill instructor memorably played by former Marine R. Lee Ermey who passed away last month.

“Stanley Kubrick called me up one day and asked me to play the sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, and I said no,” Harris told The Los Angeles Times, adding: [Ermey] was great and did a much better job than I would have done. But that always makes me kind of go, 'What were you thinking about?'.

“It might have been that I had a few too many beers that night. It was foolish.”

Harris, who also stars in Netflix film Kodachrome, reflected upon his credits which include films Glengarry Glen Ross, Apollo 13, The Rock and The Truman Show.

“The thing was when I first started out as a younger guy, I was already losing my hair - and you weren't a lead in a film if you didn't have hair, period. So I would just try to get the most interesting part I could play in whatever it was.”

Harris remained tight-lipped on what Westworld season 2 has in store for his character, stating simply he will “get paid back a lot” in episodes to come. Whether he'll have a part to play in the newly-confirmed third season remains to be seen.

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in