Anthony LaPaglia Reveals The Real Reason He Dropped Out Of Django Unchained

With a stacked cast that included Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, it’s hard to believe that «Django Unchained» was originally set to include even more big-name performers. However, similar to Anthony LaPaglia, many of these scheduled stars ended up exiting due to the tumultuous nature of the production. 

While Will Smith is perhaps the film’s most well-known dropout, as he and director Quentin Tarantino failed to see eye-to-eye on how to depict the titular character, others got further in before leaving the project. Kevin Costner, who was set to portray one of Calvin Candie’s (DiCaprio) right-hand men, left due to scheduling conflicts in 2011, as did Joseph Gordon-Levitt in April 2012, given his own obligations with directing «Don Jon’s Addiction.»

Both Jonah Hill and Sacha Baron Cohen were offered the role of young slave owner Scotty Harmony, but neither were able to commit. Hill was able to return to the production in June 2012, but his part changed to a smaller antagonistic role. Even Tarantino alum Kurt Russell had to leave the film, with news of his withdrawal coming out the same week as the announcement of Cohen’s departure. 

As much as it might’ve hurt LaPaglia and others to not be a part of the venture, it doesn’t rule out their chances of being in a Tarantino project. Both Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio were considered for prior Tarantino movies before being cast in his subsequent releases. As production amps up for the director’s supposed swan song «The Movie Critic» and his unnamed TV show, anything is possible.