# In 1963, Paul Newman turned down the leading role in a movie, unaware his arch-nemesis would get an Oscar nomination for it

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1963-paul-newman-turned-down-the-leading-role-in-a-movie-unaware-his-arch-nemesis-would-get-an-oscar-nomination-for-it/
- Published: 2026-11-14T18:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T19:26:00+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/paul-newman-turned-down-leading-role-movie-arch-nemesis-got-oscar-nomination/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Newman turned down the lead in *The Sand Pebbles*.
- Steve McQueen took the role and earned his sole Oscar nomination.
- Their rivalry made the casting outcome especially ironic.

## Summary

In 1963, Paul Newman declined the lead role in *The Sand Pebbles*, leaving director Robert Wise to consider Steve McQueen. McQueen later played the part and received the only Academy Award nomination of his career, an ironic turn given the rivalry between the two actors.

Wise said Newman was his first choice for Holman, while McQueen initially appeared at the bottom of a shortlist and studio executives doubted he could lead such an expensive production. After *The Great Escape* strengthened McQueen’s standing and Wise’s *The Sound of Music* became a major success, 20th Century Fox approved him for the film; McQueen’s performance earned an Oscar nomination in 1967.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.