The 1977 classic Steve McQueen turned down because he’d “never cried in a movie before”
Steve McQueen turned down the lead role in Steven Spielberg’s *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* because he felt unable to cry convincingly in the film’s closing scene. His refusal reflected a commitment to giving the character the emotional performance Spielberg wanted, and meant McQueen missed a role in what became a major hit.
Spielberg said he offered to remove the crying scene, but McQueen insisted the director should cast an actor who could deliver it fully. Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and James Caan also declined the role; Richard Dreyfuss eventually took it.
- McQueen declined Spielberg’s lead role over a crying scene.
- Spielberg offered to cut the scene, but McQueen refused.
- Richard Dreyfuss was cast after several other actors declined.