Bad auditions are as much of a norm in Hollywood as sunshine and craft services, and while they can sometimes be detrimental to a career or specific project, it’s not always a bad thing for famed actors to whiff on promising roles, which hindsight can speak to. Case in point: megastar George Clooney recently reflected on one of his least positive attempts to secure a role, which led to a surprisingly harsh comment from Francis Ford Coppola.
Clooney was speaking about an incident from nearly 35 years ago, when he auditioned for one of the more high profile horror adaptations of the 1990s, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Considering it’s also one of the most sexually charged horrors of note, it’s perhaps no surprise that a soon-to-be sex symbol like Clooney was hoping to be involved. Despite any amount of self-confidence the actor had, however, the Godfather director rather swiftly deflated it. As Clooney put it to IndieWire:
I went home and I thought I was really good. And Coppola called my agent and asked if I was drunk.
To be fair, the ER vet didn’t explicitly say whether or not he was drunk, but I’d put all my money on him being dead sober for that audition. After all, Francis Ford Coppola directed some of the best movies in cinema history, so I doubt anyone would want to intentionally botch such an experience by going in hammered. But I’m definitely curious about what Clooney could have done in the audition that sparked the filmmaker to call his agent with such an accusatory question.
The clip above doesn’t even make it clear which role Clooney was auditioning for. If he was aiming to land the Jonathan Harkness role that eventually went to Keanu Reeves, it’s even more curious, since that roles is as straightforward as it gets, and I can’t think of any particular scenes that would be helped along by a heightened performance.
Perhaps if Clooney was trying out for the role of R.M. Renfeld, which eventually went to the gravel-voiced Tom Waits, it would make sense for his performance to be a bit erratic and off-the-cuff, given that character’s fraught and tortured existence. Otherwise, I’ve no clue.
Why George Clooney’s Botched Dracula Audition Was Better For Horror Fans In The Long Run
While George Clooney’s presence may very well have added some additional quality points to Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a final product, I can’t help but believe that starring in such a high-profile vampire movie in 1992 would have kept the actor from later co-starring in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s 1996 genre-flipping classic From Dusk Till Dawn. Considering he’s such a masterful part of that sordid, blood-soaked feature, I don’t even want to consider what it might have been like with another ’90s actor playing Tarantino’s brother.
Sure, Dracula may be more critically acclaimed on the whole, and has a better shot at being relegated essential viewing than From Dusk Till Dawn would, but if you ask me 10 times which movie I’d rather watch for the fun of it, I’m going to say FDTD all 10 times. Featuring co-stars such as Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Danny Trejo, Salma Hayek and more, the heist-horror-comedy caper is an NSFW roller coaster ride that keeps viewers rollicking for its entire runtime. For nearly 20 years now, I’ve considered it to be one of the best vampire movies ever.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for all that I do sincerely love it, is really a snooze in comparison. It’s a faithful retelling of Stoker’s novel, albeit with plenty of creative tweaks, and amidst plenty of quality performances, Gary Oldman is truly running on all cylinders in multiple roles. But the truly exciting moments are fewer and farther between than they are in Rodriguez’s film.
Plus, exactly zero Titty Twister strip clubs are to be found in Transylvania. I mean come on!
In any case, George Clooney’s career isn’t exactly suffering, although as a horror fan, I’d love it if he could find the time to jump back into another genre effort before he retires from acting altogether. From Dawn Till Dusk, anyone?