I for one was seriously impressed with the Once Upon A Time in Hollywood clip of “Rick Dalton” playing Cpt. Virgil Hilts (the role Steve McQueen actually played) in The Great Escape. The implication is that Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) screen-tested for the Hilts role or perhaps had even been cast before director John Sturges changed his mind and gave the role to McQueen. McQueen’s voice was deeper than Dalton’s — he had the surly-insolence-mixed-with-confident-swagger thing down pat. The Great Escape clip wasn’t ready when OUATIH premiered in Cannes or, as far as I know, opened last summer. Thanks to Aurora for posting this a couple of days ago.
