# In 1984, Tim Roth starred in his first movie. He almost lost the role to Joe Strummer

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1984-tim-roth-starred-in-his-first-movie-he-almost-lost-the-role-to-joe-strummer/
- Published: 2026-11-03T14:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T01:16:57+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1984-tim-roth-nearly-lost-acting-job-to-joe-strummer/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Tim Roth landed his first big-screen role after Joe Strummer dropped out.
- Roth played one of the hitmen in Stephen Frears’s 1984 film *The Hit*.
- Strummer’s bandmates preferred that he focus on The Clash.

## Summary

Tim Roth’s first big-screen role was as a hitman in Stephen Frears’s 1984 film *The Hit*, after Joe Strummer withdrew from the part. The casting change gave Roth an early chance to prove himself in a feature film and helped launch a career that has spanned four decades.

In the film, Terence Stamp plays a criminal who has spent ten years in Spain after informing on his former gang; two hitmen take him to Paris, where the gang awaits. The article says Strummer’s Clash bandmates wanted him to focus on the group, while Roth called the part “a brilliant role” and said the uncertainty of not working still makes him anxious.

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