Did you know that
Ethan Hawke was originally supposed to be in
Total Recall?
The actor had mentioned in interviews that he was part of a five page monologue which was being shot for the sci-fi blockbuster but he doesn’t make an appearance in the finished film.
When
Click’s Daniel Anderson recently got the chance to sit down with
Total Recall star
Jessica Biel, he asked about the rumours of
Hawke's involvement and how his character would have played.
Check out what
Biel had to say.
So it seems
Hawke was set to play an alternative version of
Colin Farrell’s Hauser, presumably before he had memory and face altered in order to become Quaid. It’s an interesting idea which would certainly have made the opening scenes that much more complicated – something which might have helped to add some depth to the fairly basic plotting in the film.
On the other hand,
Total Recall clearly decided early on that it was going to be an all out action film –
as Jack talked about in his review – so questions of identity and potential audience confusion might not have been what the filmmakers had in mind.
Hawke himself seems an odd choice. Apart from the physical differences and the fact that he must have had one hell of a cosmetic surgeon, he’s far from the most recognisable of actors. This seems like it might have been the perfect opportunity to inject some knowing references to the older movie, not something as blatant as
Arnie’s over stretched visage but a brief appearance by someone like
Michael Ironside would have gone down a treat. Though the romance might be a little more unbelievable.
Total Recall is in cinemas worldwide now. For more interviews, clips, trailers and a competition, head to our Content Hub.