John Wayne is arguably the greatest Western actor of all time, with respect to Clint Eastwood, Henry Fonda, Lee Van Cleef and several others.
But even he opted to turn down a Western role - or two. The legendary actor with hits like Stagecoach and Rio Bravo turned down what would become the "greatest Western ever" made: High Noon.
'High Noon' Named 'Greatest Western Ever' Made
In a poll of more than 5,000 participants, High Noon was voted as the greatest Western movie ever.
“It takes a special kind of lawman to outgun John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and the Wild Bunch. But it was all in a morning’s work for Gary Cooper. His 1952 film High Noon has been voted the greatest western ever,” the Guardian wrote at the time.
Wayne, though, detested the film - even after he turned it down.
“Everybody says High Noon is a great picture because [Dimitri] Tiomkin wrote some great music for it and because Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly were in it,” he said. “So it’s got everything going for it. In that picture, four guys come in to gun down the sheriff. He goes to the church and asks for help and the guys go, ‘Oh well, oh gee.’ And the women stand up and say, ‘You’re rats. You’re rats. You’re rats.'”
Wayne called it the most “un-American” thing he’s ever seen in his life.
Four Other Legendary Actors Turned Down the Role
The Western legend wasn't the only one to turn down a role in the film, though. Iconic actor Gregory Peck refused the role, which he considered a bit too close to his 1950 hit The Gunfighter.
Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston and Montgomery Clift also turned down the role, giving Gary Cooper the last laugh as he won Best Actor at the 1953 Academy Awards.
Related: 1953 Western Classic Among John Wayne's Best - But He Was The Second Choice
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