Tom Hanks Iconic Comedic Role Almost Played By Robert De Niro

Actress Elizabeth Perkins, who played adult Josh’s love interest in the 1988 classic Big, appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Wednesday, where she spoke about Robert De Niro originally being cast in the role that Tom Hanks made famous.

“Robert De Niro was actually cast in the role of Josh in the movie Big.” Perkins revealed to an astonished Cohen. But, she added, “It fell apart because he had a scheduling conflict, and then they went to Tom Hanks. It’s like a totally different movie in my brain with Robert De Niro.”

De Niro was so close to playing the part that when Perkins auditioned for her role, she auditioned with De Niro. While Hanks brought a certain playfulness to the character, had De Niro stuck with the role, Big would have been a much different movie.

“He was more moody. It was more of a — a little more of a horror movie. Robert De Niro wandering around the streets of New York,” Perkins said. “What Tom Hanks brought to it was so much lighter.”