Steven Spielberg's SCHINDLER'S LIST Could've Starred Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, or Sean Connery

Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List is a perfectly made film, and Liam Neeson perfectly played Oscar Schindler in the movie. I honestly can’t imagine anyone else in that role, but there were a lot of other actors in Hollywood who were trying to land the role.

In an oral history of the movie shared on THR, it was revealed that Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, and Mel Gibson were circling the project. There was also an earlier version of the project where Sean Connery was looking to play Schindler.

Neeson said in the interview: “I heard Harrison Ford’s name. Costner’s name. The Australian actor Jack Thompson — I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, Jack looks very like Schindler.’ I looked nothing like Schindler. Anyway, it was always in the back of my head, but I wasn’t holding out huge hope.”

Spielberg went on to say that a lot of actors wanted to play this part: “A lot of people were interested in playing Schindler, and a lot of them were movie stars, and to all of them I promised never to divulge any of their history with me, so I’m not saying those names are accurate. I’m saying there were a number of people, even more than the names you gave me.”

Talent agent Michael Ovitz added: “Mel Gibson’s name came up. He was interested. His agent put him forward. But it wasn’t going to happen. Steven wanted a non-movie star for the part.” What a strange thing it would be to have Gibson playing Oscar Schindler considering the comments he’s made in the past.

As for Sean Connery, in 1963, Casablanca co-writer Howard Koch wrote a script that was based on the story of Leopold Page, one of the Jews who was rescued by Schindler. Page pitched his film idea to MGM, and Connery was approached to star, but that film, obviously, never got off the ground.

The book that Schindler’s List is inspired by is based on Leopold Page’s recount of what happened.