Networking With Lumet

"Peter Finch was not our first choice for the character of Howard (Beale)," Sidney Lumet admitted after a special screening of his 1976 film "Network" on Monday as part The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Monday Night with Oscar" film series. "Everyone else in the cast was our first choice. I wanted an American to play Howard. We considered Gregory Peck. We also thought about Spencer Tracy but there was no way he would leave California. But Peter was so intent on the part. He called one day and said, 'I can do the American accent.' He said 'send me today's New York Times and in 48 hours you will have a tape.' In 48 hours, I received a tape of him reading the entire front page of The Times with an American accent. It was perfect." Lumet, who watched the movie for the first time "in years" with an audience at The Academy's Lighthouse International Theater, noticed audience reaction had changed when it came to certain aspects of the script. "The word 'terrorist' always got a laugh (30 years ago). Now I don't hear anything." (A. Morfoot)

Comments

[Pedro Nunes]

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