Overview
- Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Peter Jackson said recasting an actor is the filmmakers’ fault and framed the change as a chemistry and communication issue.
- Ryan Gosling had been set to play grieving father Jack Salmon but was replaced by Mark Wahlberg before filming, which Saoirse Ronan later said felt right because Wahlberg was a dad.
- Gosling gained about 60 pounds after deciding the character should be heavier, reportedly by drinking melted Häagen-Dazs, which he later linked to poor pre-production communication.
- Producer Fran Walsh said in 2009 that Gosling repeatedly told the team he felt too young, and they tried to age him up before concluding he was not right for the role.
- The recast has since become a cautionary example in film circles about aligning a director’s vision with an actor’s approach before cameras roll.