Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “Lean On Me”
Close Casting Calls
Though Morgan Freeman is Hollywood gold these days, one of the most successful actors regardless of race, that wasn’t quite the case back in the late eighties and Warner Brothers wasn’t too convinced about him taking on the lead role.
And so they approached Sidney Poitier. But he turned it down. He was familiar with Clark and told the studio he didn’t believe in his politics. In fact, he went so far as to call him a fascist.
Then they thought about Bill Cosby but decided his energy might be too low, plus he was doing I Spy.
They even considered Eddie Murphy. And he was interested but the way his contract with Paramount was set up, he wasn’t able to work with other studios.
Even Danny Glover was in the running but he was on track to do the sequel for Lethal Weapon.
So Morgan Freeman got the job, just like producer Norman Twain wanted all along.