Mike Myers’ beloved portrayal of the large green ogre in Shrek almost didn't happen since the studio originally hired someone else for the part. Shrek followed the life of a frightening ogre living alone in his swamp when Lord Farquaad banished all fairy tale creatures to his land. To free his home from the intruders, Shrek and Donkey embarked on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona from her fiery tower. The film, which opened with Shrek using a page from a storybook as toilet paper, was meant to subvert topes from popular princess movies.
At the time, most films based on fairy tales featured beautiful princesses in their lead roles, but the character of Shrek was an ugly, bitter ogre who had no interest in anyone other than himself. His entertaining friendship with Donkey and blossoming romance with Princess Fiona created a solid premise that spawned a successful franchise for DreamWorks. Yet, the real heart of the film rested with Shrek’s prickly personality. It is hard to imagine the character portrayed by anyone else, but that was almost what happened.
Casting for Shrek initially hired comedian Chris Farley, who unfortunately ed away before the movie was finished. Writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot had actually based Myers’ extensive comedic experience made him the perfect choice.
Shrek would have been a very different movie without Myers. In an interview (via Shrek’s long-lasting success.
Some other actors considered for Shrek include Bill Murray and Nicolas Cage. Before DreamWorks was even founded, early ideas for Shrek paired Murry with Steve Martin voicing Donkey. During the actual casting process, Cage was offered the part before Myers. He turned it down because he did not want to look like an ogre—a rather ironic reasoning considering the film’s lesson to look beyond appearances.
Although Shrek began on shaky ground, with animators struggling on the highly anticipated The Prince of Egypt sent to work on Shrek instead, the movie won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its success has led to four feature films as well as spin-offs, holiday shorts, and video games. After much stalling, a Farley's recorded footage was leaked online, providing a bit of insight into the type of film he would have made. Though Farley never got the opportunity to do the role, Myers’ unique approach to the title character worked out for all involved.
