Josh Brolin reveals Heath Ledger was almost cast in his place for No Country for Old Men but turned it down in order to spend time with his family. Based on Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name, the neo-Western revolves around Vietnam War veteran Llewelyn Moss who happens upon a large sum of money in the midst of the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong. Hoping for a better life, Llewelyn takes the money, inadvertently putting him in the crosshairs of relentless hitman Anton Chigurh tasked with recovering the money and aging sheriff Ed Tom Bell investigating the crime.
Josh Brolin led the cast of No Country for Old Men as Llewelyn alongside Tommy Lee Jones as Bell, Javier Bardem as Chigurh, Kelly Macdonald, Woody Harrelson, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin and Stephen Root. Written and directed by the Coen brothers, the film received rave reviews upon release from critics and audiences alike for its faithful adaptation of McCarthy's novels and themes, quiet direction and the performances of its cast, namely that of Bardem. No Country for Old Men also went on to earn eight Academy Award nominations, winning four for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Bardem and Best Adapted Screenplay.
While appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast to discuss his Amazon series Outer Range, Josh Brolin reflected on his time with No Country for Old Men. The Oscar nominee recalled the Coen brothers initially being desperate to get Heath Ledger for the role of Llewelyn but that he turned it down in order to spend time with his family. See what Brolin shared below:
"I know they were really frustrated and they were looking everywhere. I don't know if you knew this, but Heath Ledger was supposed to do that role. It wasn't that he died, he pulled out of the role. He was like, 'I don't want to work right now.'"
At the time of No Country for Old Men's development, Ledger was considered to be one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood thanks to a string of hits beginning with 10 Things I Hate About You. The year before the Coen brothers' film saw Ledger hit the screen in four different movies, including the cult favorite Lords of Dogtown, horror-fantasy The Brothers Grimm, poorly received romance drama Casanova and Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. The latter film earned Ledger the first of his two Oscar nominations, though he would lose the Best Actor statue to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his performance in Capote.
While the idea of Heath Ledger getting to work with the Coen brothers for No Country for Old Men is sure to be an enticing one for fans of the actor and filmmakers, his break would prove for the better in a variety of ways. Not only did it allow Ledger the opportunity to spend time with he and Michelle Williams' newborn daughter, but it would also lead to his acclaimed role of The Joker in The Dark Knight while also marking Brolin's first collaboration with the Coen brothers that would lead to True Grit and Hail, Caesar!. Audiences can revisit Brolin's work with No Country for Old Men now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Armchair Expert