The “off-beat” actor Stanley Kubrick almost hired for ‘Dr Strangelove’: “He’ll be a fabulous choice”

Stanley Kubrick nearly cast Gene Kelly, the singing and dancing star of Singin' in the Rain, in a very different type of role for his 1964 Cold War satire Dr Strangelove. In a letter to producer James Harris, Kubrick described Kelly as a "fabulous off-beat choice" for Brigadier General Jack D Ripper, the deranged officer who triggers a nuclear catastrophe in the film. The role eventually went to Sterling Hayden, with whom Kubrick had previously worked on The Killing, but the near-miss casting shows how differently the film could have turned out.

Kubrick's letter also revealed he wanted the production to appear "tight on money" to help secure Kelly's involvement, though ultimately he decided Hayden suited the part better. Peter Sellers, meanwhile, was cast in multiple roles including Dr Strangelove himself, earning an Oscar nomination for his performance. Kubrick and Kelly's paths crossed again years later under less happy circumstances, when Kubrick used "Singin' in the Rain" during a disturbing scene in 1971's A Clockwork Orange, reportedly angering Kelly, who felt the use of the song was inappropriate and that he hadn't been paid for it.