Apocalypse Now (Zoetrope, 1979), Archive of Fred Roos' Casting Notes (ca. 1975-76)....

Description

Apocalypse Now (Zoetrope, 1979), Archive of Fred Roos' Casting Notes (ca. 1975-76). Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and John Milius began developing Apocalypse Now years before principal photography began. Known for his uncanny ability to cast unconventional roles, Coppola, along with the Zoetrope team, once again turned to Fred Roos to assemble the film's remarkable ensemble. Roos began by compiling exhaustive lists, categorizing virtually every working male actor at the time. One folder featured every Asian actor in the business. Another listed French actors. A separate folder included names of beautiful actresses who could play the Playboy Playmates, such as Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman), Pam Grier, Linda Lovelace, and Ann Reinking. Yet another folder contained headshots and resumes of actors who could surf. This lot offers a comprehensive, step-by-step record of Roos' casting process, including a 30-page master document on 8.5" x 14" yellow legal-sized paper listing actors by category, and 8-typewritten pages on carbon paper. Beginning with the date "Dec. 75," each page outlines a different stage of his casting decisions. These include a master list of actors considered for the lead roles, including Harrison Ford, Harvey Keitel, Mark Hamill, Peter O'Toole, and Albert Finney. One list identifies actresses considered for the now-deleted role of Mrs. Kurtz, including Ellen Burstyn, Sally Kellerman, and Louise Fletcher. A later document dated Jan. 26 contains further notes on various actors and their previous work, with unorthodox names such as Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, Morgan Freeman, Nick Nolte, Scott Glenn, and John Belushi. Many entries include handwritten times and dates, suggesting scheduled readings. A handwritten note dated "NY - Jan. 29, '76" records a reading with 14-year-old "Larry Fishburne" for the role of "Clean," which he ultimately won. Harvey Keitel, noted by Roos as a former Marine, was initially cast as Willard but was replaced after the first week of shooting. The lot also includes later Roos' reflections on the casting process, revealing that he initially hoped to land Jack Nicholson, Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, and Tommy Lee Jones before settling on Martin Sheen, who was originally unavailable due to scheduling conflicts. Also included are behind-the-scenes photos, 1-showing Francis Ford Coppola playing a bugle, 1-featuring "Chef" (Fredric Forrest) in silhouette, along with 19-press kit photos from the film, 2-finalized casting documents, and 2-handwritten notes addressed to Roos about actor availability. Items measure between 8.5" x 11" and 8.5" x 14". Items exhibit various stages of wear, fading, bent corners and storage damage, including rodent damage to some press photos and areas of loss. The poster is for reference only and is not included with this lot. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Estate of Fred Roos.

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