Tom Cruise almost replaced Brad Pitt in the lead role of the Oscar-nominated 2008 film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, according to Entertainment Weekly. The romantic drama was directed by David Fincher and received 13 Oscar nominations, winning three.
While Brad Pitt received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the lead character, Cruise was initially set to play the role with Steven Spielberg directing. Spielberg and Cruise had considered working together on the film before deciding to collaborate on Minority Report instead.
Spielberg recounted their friendship and past discussions about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying, “Tom and I were friends. David Geffen introduced us when he made Risky Business, when he was a kid. So Tom and I had been friends for many, many years…personal friends. We had considered working together. Benjamin Button, we had talked about maybe doing together, long before Minority Report. But nothing quite jelled for either of us. So when Minority Report came along, it wasn’t unusual for me to send him the screenplay. But this is the one he said, ‘Let’s do this together.’”
In addition to Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button also starred Cate Blanchett and Taraji P. Henson in prominent roles. While it is unclear how the film would have turned out with Cruise in the lead, it remains a beloved classic with Pitt’s portrayal of Benjamin Button being one of his most memorable performances.