The Actor Wolfgang Petersen Originally Had In Mind For George Clooney's The Perfect Storm Role

Speaking with Charlie Rose in 2000, Wolfgang Petersen claimed that his original choice for the part of Captain Billy Tyne was none other than Nicolas Cage. "First idea was Nic Cage, for Billy Tyne, for the George Clooney character," he said. Cage was unable to play the role because he was busy with "Gone In 60 Seconds."

Petersen then met with Mel Gibson, who apparently was not cast because he wanted too much money. As odd luck would have it, "The Perfect Storm" would open the same weekend as "The Patriot," which starred Gibson. It came in second on opening weekend, while "The Perfect Storm" would come in first, per Box Office Mojo.

Ultimately, as Petersen told Rose, he ended up going with Clooney after sneaking in to watch an unfinished cut of his film "Three Kings," which also saw him acting alongside Mark Wahlberg. Then, when Petersen met with Clooney, he told the director that he didn't actually want the part of Billy Tyne, but of Bobby Shatford, which ultimately went to Wahlberg. Apparently, Clooney was under the impression that a fishing boat captain would be far older than he was. "I think ... he had a little bit of hesitation if he can fill the shoes of this big part," said Petersen.