Summary

• Director Antoine Fuqua originally cast Benicio Del Toro as Detective Roberts in American Gangster, but Ridley Scott replaced him with Russell Crowe last minute.
• If Del Toro had stayed in the role, his subtle acting style would have brought a different dynamic to the character compared to Crowe's assertive performance.
• Despite the casting change, Benicio Del Toro still received $5 million for the film, leading to mixed opinions on how his performance would have impacted the movie.

Denzel Washington's critically acclaimed American Gangster, with a score of 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, featured a star-studded cast, but a key actor swap changed the movie's dynamic entirely. In the 2007 thriller with an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Washington played a renowned drug lord, Frank Lucas, who was targeted by smaller gangs for his monopoly on the drug trade. Trying to catch him for his crimes was a detective named Richie Roberts. In the movie, Detective Roberts was played by Russell Crowe, but as it turns out, he easily could have been portrayed by someone else.

While speaking at Collider's Fuqua had already cast Denzel Washington and a different actor as Roberts, which ultimately altered the film's dynamic when the new director, Ridley Scott, changed Fuqua's pick for the role.

Benicio Del Toro Was Supposed To Play Roberts Opposite Denzel Washington In American Gangster

Antoine Fuqua Had Already Cast Benicio Del Toro Before He Was Replaced.

Antoine Fuqua said at the SDCC that he had cast Benicio Del Toro, known for his role as Alejandro Gillick in the Sicario movies, alongside Denzel, claiming that was "what [he] wanted it to be." However, Ridley Scott replaced Del Toro with Russell Crowe. Benicio Del Toro has never spoken publicly about the replacement, so it's safe to assume that the creative differences and budgetary issues were the main reasons for the casting replacement and not anything behind the scenes.

Despite being replaced, Benicio Del Toro still benefited financially from American Gangster. According to Entertainment Weekly, his pay-or-play contract ensured he received $5 million even though he didn't star in the film. Russell Crowe was paid a high amount for the role, and his casting significantly impacted the movie, given his very different acting style from Del Toro, which has led to mixed opinions on the outcome of the change.

Benicio Del Toro Replacing Russell Crowe Would've Totally Changed American Gangster

Del Toro's Acting Performances In His Biggest Movies Are More Subtle Compared To Crowe's.

If Benicio Del Toro had replaced Russell Crowe as Detective Roberts, the character’s dynamic with Denzel Washington’s Frank Lucas would have shifted significantly. Del Toro might have brought a more nuanced, morally ambiguous edge, similar to his role as Alejandro in Sicario and Jaiver Rodriguez in Traffic. His experience playing anti-heroes could have contrasted sharply with the morally upstanding Roberts, offering a unique take on the detective's pursuit of justice and his relationship with Lucas.

Russell Crowe, by comparison, played a similar cop character with the same assertive personality as Richie Roberts. In L.A. Confidential, he played Bud White, a hot-headed detective on a similar mission to expose corruption within his department. This made his casting in American Gangster feel predictable and like a safe choice, so, Benicio Del Toro's casting would've been more interesting. But whether American Gangster would have its current standing as one of Denzel Washington's best movies, will never be known.

Source: Collider, Entertainment Weekly.