Kevin Spacey and Kevin Kline were both approached to star in Chicago
In a new interview, director Rob Marshall reveals that he considered both Kevins for the role of Billy Flynn, which ultimately went to Richard Gere
We… want… Kevin? In a new interview celebrating the Academy Award-winning movie musical Chicago’s 20th anniversary, director Rob Marshall reveals that there were a few other potential actors for the central role of suave and self-interested lawyer Billy Flynn—and both of them were named Kevin.
“I remember speaking to Kevin Kline and Kevin Spacey — all the Kevins — about Billy Flynn,” Marshall tells The Hollywood Reporter’s Ryan Gajewski.
According to Marshall, Spacey ended up focusing on Bobby Darin’s 2004 film Beyond The Sea, and Kline “wasn’t quite sure” about taking on Chicago. As Marshall elucidates, this wasn’t the era of a big-budget, two-part Wicked adaptation. In the early aughts, not as many in the industry were sold on the idea of a movie musical.
“The truth is, a lot of people were reticent about doing a musical,” Marshall shares. “It’s a very cynical musical, too, in many ways. It’s very hard for people to see it as a film.”
However, despite considering both Kevins, Marshall says that right from the jump it was “very clear to him” that Richard Gere was “the one” for the role. Gere ended up receiving a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance, his only Golden Globe win. (Avoiding Spacey specifically seems like a real bullet dodge—however you feel about separating art from artist, it’s hard to imagine finding completely unabashed joy today in a Spacey movie produced by Harvey Weinstein.)
“I always believe that in a perfect world, you don’t even have to make a decision about actors,” Marshall explains. “The actor themselves, if they’re right for the role, they claim it as theirs, and that’s what Richard Gere did.”