‘Biggest flop in history’: This actor gave up on the idea that the film wouldn’t work

In the early years of Hollywood, getting an actor for a role could be difficult because if he was contracted to a studio other than a movie studio, interstudio negotiations were required.

When the adaptation project for the cinema began, its producer David O. Selznick found his Scarlett O’Hara by auditioning thirty professional actresses: it would be Vivien Leigh. It remains to choose who will be the leading man, Rhett Butler, and his second choice is Clark Gable. However, the actor has a contract with the MGM firm, which only “loans” him to Selznick if he receives half of the film’s profits.

Did you know that kissing in the movie was an ordeal for Vivien Leigh?

Instead, Selznick turns to someone he absolutely wants, another proven star, a gun-toting hero, the extravagant Mr. Deeds, Desire, or even Peter Ibbetson: actor Gary Cooper. Therefore, the latter was offered the role, but he also had a contract with Samuel Goldwyn’s studio, which categorically refused to lend him.

Selznick doesn’t give up and goes to the studio to talk to Cooper directly. He asks him to break his contract with Goldwyn and accept the role of Rhett Butler. But the actor categorically refuses. It’s a cold shower for the producer, as he is told Cooper’s words, whispered privately:

Gone with the Wind would go down as the biggest flop in Hollywood history. I’m glad Clark Gable ended up down to earth and not me!

Frustrated, Selznick reluctantly agreed to MGM’s terms and still hired an actor he thought was right for the role. In the end, Gone with the Wind not only earned Clark Gable an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, but above all, it became the movie that, adjusted for inflation, is still the biggest blockbuster of all time today!

Had it been released in 2023, it would have grossed more than $4 billion, surpassing all the blockbusters released in theaters since then.

Gary Cooper regretted turning down the role for the rest of his life, and in his biography of the actor, Hector Arce credits him with these words years later:

“It was one of the best roles Hollywood had ever offered…but I said no. I didn’t consider myself confused, and later, when I saw Clark Gable play the role to perfection, I knew I was right.”