Baz Luhrmann reveals the Australian actor who almost got Ewan McGregor’s role in Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is arguably one of the most iconic musical movies of all time.
And now Baz Luhrman, who wrote and directed the film, has revealed that Moulin Rogue’s leading man could have been very different.
While Ewan McGregor ended up playing the role of Nicole Kidman’s love interest Christian in the musical, the part almost went to the late Heath Ledger.
Revealed: Filmmaker Baz Luhrman has revealed which A-list Australian actor almost got the lead role in Moulin Rouge
‘A young Heath Ledger was up for the role and I thought maybe the character could be very young,’ the filmmaker told news.com.au this week.
‘And it turned out they (Heath and Nicole) did really work together. And it was quite beautiful,’ he continued.
Unfortunately, Baz admitted that Heath ‘was just too young in the end’ to get to the role.
Surprise! While Ewan McGregor ended up playing the role of Nicole Kidman’s love interest Christian in the musical, the part almost went to the late Heath Ledger (pictured)
Heath was just 21 at the time, while Ewan was 30 and much closer in age to Nicole, who was 33.
Baz soon realised that Ewan was ‘the perfect partner’ for Nicole’s character, Satine.
‘Getting the right chemical equation between two leads in a romantic relationship is really important,’ he added.
Perfect fit: Baz soon realised that Ewan was ‘the perfect partner’ for Nicole’s character, Satine
Moulin Rouge was a critical smash upon its release in 2001, earning Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Picture.
Although it didn’t win, it still took home Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.
Heath went on to star in several iconic films too, including Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight.
Iconic: Moulin Rouge was a critical smash upon its release in 2001, earning Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Picture