Christopher McDonald on why he refused to play Geena Davis' attacker

Christopher McDonald recalls being offered the role of the man who attacks Geena Davis in 'Thelma & Louise'. He turned it down as he was previously engaged to Davis and found the role too difficult, ultimately playing her husband instead.

A Difficult Casting Offer

Christopher McDonald has revealed that he was originally approached to play Harlan Puckett, the man who attacks Geena Davis’ character in the 1991 classic ‘Thelma & Louise’, but turned down the role, according to People.

McDonald, 71, who ultimately played Davis’ on-screen husband Daryl Dickinson, recalled the unusual casting story during a recent interview with CNN.

The actor said he had been engaged to Davis around five years before they filmed the Ridley Scott-directed drama, but their relationship ended after she “broke it off”.

“I was heartbroken,” McDonald said.

When he was later offered a role in ‘Thelma & Louise’, McDonald said he was initially intrigued, until he learned which character the filmmakers wanted him to portray.

“They wanted me to come in at the time of ‘Thelma & Louise’ and play the person that tries to rape her. But this is now five years later,” he recalled. “It was a wow. And I was like, ‘I can’t play the rapist.”

Becoming 'a complete jerko'

McDonald eventually joined the film in a different role as Daryl Dickinson, Thelma’s husband. He said he deliberately leaned into the character's unpleasant qualities and decided to make him “a complete jerko.”

“I thought, I’ll either never work again or this will be great,” McDonald said, according to People.

The actor also recalled one of the film’s kitchen scenes involving Daryl and Thelma. His character pulls out a ring of keys and tells her, “It’s a good thing you’re not regional manager, and I am.”

“Ridley Scott laughed so hard,” McDonald recalled, describing Daryl as “a jerk, but he’s funny.”

Improvising on Set

Another memorable moment involving Daryl was reportedly improvised. After the kitchen scene, the character leaves for work but slips in the driveway.

“It’s the first take, I slipped on the water, and my head hit the cement maker, and I said, ‘Oh, s---, keep going,’” McDonald recalled. “I was always taught to keep going. So I got up and I ad-libbed.”

“You steal from life and you put it up there, that’s what’s great about being an actor,” McDonald added.

Reflecting on a Classic

“This movie had so many great bits in it,” according to People.

Released in 1991, ‘Thelma & Louise’ starred Davis and Susan Sarandon in the titular roles, with McDonald, Brad Pitt, Harvey Keitel and Michael Madsen also appearing in the film.

The movie received six Academy Award nominations and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Reflecting on Davis’ performance, McDonald said, “Geena was excellent in it.” He noted that Thelma was trying to get permission to leave for a road trip with her friend Louise, but “she can’t get it done.”

For McDonald, the film ultimately represented more than a conventional road movie. He described it as “Ridley Scott’s opus to the bandit women.”

The actor said his decision to portray Daryl as an unapologetic jerk was central to the performance, adding that the experience gave him the opportunity to contribute to a film filled with memorable moments, according to People.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)