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Did You Know Tom Cruise Was Originally Set to Star in 'The Shawshank Redemption'?
Why didn't the actor join this incredible cast and script?
Jul 14, 2025
Tom Cruise is one of the biggest stars on the planet, and even as big as he is today, I would argue he may have been even bigger in the 90s. He was coming off Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, and his star was shining bright.
But he was circling in on a Stephen King adaptation at Castle Rock, where he'd play a banker falsely accused of killing his wife.
That's right, Tom Cruise was set on being Andy Dufresne in the Shawshank Redemption.
Let's dive into the story.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
At the time, Rob Reiner was set to direct, and Cruise had enjoyed working with him on A Few Good Men. Of course, Reiner didn't direct it, and Frank Darabont eventually stepped in to do it.
At the time, Cruise still circled the role.
"I think he was a bit nervous working for a first-time director. I don't blame him for that," Darabont said. "But he might have been too big for the movie I wanted to make. It wasn't a Cool Hand Luke role where you want Paul Newman. It was a little less bold, more subtle than that."
At that stage in his career, Cruise was accustomed to collaborating with a veritable who's who of established Hollywood directors, including Sydney Pollack, Rob Reiner, and Ron Howard.
As you can tell by Darabont's quote, there was a sense that Cruise's star power might have inadvertently overshadowed the subtle, character-driven narrative. The casting of a less globally recognized actor like Robbins ultimately served the film's understated and deeply human tone.
And that movie wound up being perfect.
Of course, Cruise went on to make some other massive movies in the 90s, and Shawshank tanked at the box office. It was not until home video that people discovered the movie, which is heralded as one of the greatest all-time.
It's hard to imagine the movie led by Tom Cruise not making one initially, but Robbins has this quiet arc about him in the movie that I'm not sure Cruise would have been able to pull off.
All in all, this is a very fun "what if."
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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