Why Michael Keaton Turned Down Groundhog Day
The story goes that the casting of "Groundhog Day" gave its writer, Danny Rubin, a cause for concern when Bill Murray got picked for the lead role of Phil Connors, the grumpy weatherman who eventually sees the brighter side of life after living the same day over and over again. Admittedly, while we can't imagine anyone else in the role now, maybe he wouldn't have been so worried had Batman got the gig instead.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Michael Keaton revealed that he was approached for the lead role of the beloved comedy before Murray got the call. Unfortunately, he didn't accept the offer because Phil Connors felt like a character he didn't want to play again.
"I didn't get it — I thought, This guy sounds like the kind of wry, sardonic, glib young man I've played — and it ended up being so great," the actor explained.
He was right. "Groundhog Day" became one of the most successful comedies of 1993 and one of the greatest comedies of all time. Keaton, thankfully, has no ill will against missing out or for the man who got the job instead. "But you can't do that better than Bill Murray did it," he confessed. But Keaton wasn't the only name on the list, either. Before Murray marked "Groundhog Day" on his calendar repeatedly, another big name was on the pile of potential stars — one that, like Keaton, began with a career in comedy before shifting into more dramatic roles that would earn award-worthy recognition.
Tom Hanks could have appeared in Groundhog Day, but turned it down because of his reputation
Besides Michael Keaton passing on meeting Punxsutawney Phil, Tom Hanks was also offered an audience with the groundhog in the movie but turned down the role for an interesting reason -– meeting audience expectations. In 2009, during a Q&A in Chicago (via The Hollywood Reporter), director Harold Ramis revealed that he approached Tom Hanks for the part of Phil Connors, but the actor refused because of the ironed-down image he would inevitably bring to the film. "Audiences would have been sitting there waiting for me to become nice, because I always play nice. But Bill's such a miserable S.O.B. on- and offscreen, you didn't know what was going to happen," Ramis explained.
It was a fair assessment to make for the character. By this point, Hanks had won hearts already with films like "Big" and "Splash," so seeing the bitter soul change his tune wouldn't have been as rewarding as the barbarous Bill Murray getting a new look on life. The character of Phil needed Murray's deadpan delivery and his bitter reaction to the ever-so-chipper locals of Punxsutawney. Without it, the film might've missed out on what are now iconic moments (like the improvised encounters with Ned Ryerson) that only its star could conjure and what make "Groundhog Day" a comedy that's still worth going back to.