In 1957, Cary Grant turned down an Oscar-winning role to work with a legend. That actor quit the movie before production began
Cary Grant turned down the role of Colonel Nicholson in *The Bridge on the River Kwai* to work with Marlon Brando in *The Pride and the Passion*. The choice meant passing on a part that won Alec Guinness the Best Actor Oscar, while the film Grant chose was less well received.
Grant later said Brando quit shortly before filming began and was replaced by Frank Sinatra. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the Stanley Kramer film also starred Sophia Loren and followed the effort to haul a huge cannon across Spain. *The Bridge on the River Kwai* won seven Academy Awards; Grant, despite two competitive Oscar nominations, never won one.
In short
- Grant passed on *The Bridge on the River Kwai* for a Brando film.
- Brando left before filming and Sinatra replaced him.
- Alec Guinness won the Oscar for the role Grant declined.
Explained simply
Cary Grant was one of Hollywood’s best-known leading actors, famous for comedies and dramas. In the 1950s he was offered the part of Colonel Nicholson, a British officer held by the Japanese during the Second World War, in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Grant chose instead to make The Pride and the Passion, a Stanley Kramer film set during the Napoleonic Wars. It follows Spanish fighters trying to move a large cannon across the country, and also stars Sophia Loren.
The two choices became notable for different reasons: Alec Guinness won the Best Actor Oscar for The Bridge on the River Kwai, while Grant’s chosen film received a less favourable response. Grant was nominated for acting Oscars twice but never won a competitive Academy Award.
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