Movie trivia.

Actors who were rumored to have been considered to play Benjamin in the graduate before Dustin Hoffman.


Steve McQueen.

Jack Nicholson.

George Peppard.

Keir Dullea.

Robert Wagner.

George Hamilton.

Richard Dreyfuss.

Burt ward.

Robert Redford.

Warren Beatty.

Then Unknown Harrison ford.


Michael Parks.

Anthony Perkins.

Charles Grodin.

Robert Duvall.

Brandon Dewilde.

Jack nance.

Harvey keitel.

My choice for Benjamin in The Graduate would be almost any of those actors over Dustin Hoffman. IMO Hoffman was wrongly cast for the role and he played it wrong too. He seemed to be acting as if he was mentally slow, playing it too odd and too geeky. After he touches Mrs Robinson's breast he starts banging his head into the wall, like he's having some sort of break down. And yet in the movie he's suppose to be the captain of a sports team, just graduated from college and from a rich home. That kind of person would be more self confident than the way Hoffman plays it. Robert Wagner would be my first choice for Benjamin.

Jack Nicholson would've been extremely interesting considering that Ben is anything BUT Jack Nicholson. I'd have liked to see Perkins there, too, but mostly because I don't fully care for The Graduate as anything but a "good" movie. To be fair, I recently became a Hoffman fan and am happier with other films of his.

I would've liked to see Charles Grodin in The Graduate. I just loved his deadpan humor.

I've been thinking about this and now I think the best choice was Steve McQueen. He could play angst, confused and adrift and also be a believable jock.