Mandy Patinkin may have played Quasimodo, if not for a disastrous audition. Quasimodo is the titular role in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Disney's 1996 animated movie based on Victor Hugo's classic novel of the same name. Quasimodo is a deformed bell-ringer in the Parisian cathedral Notre-Dame who falls in love with Esmerelda, tries to exert independence from his evil master Frollo, and attempts to gain acceptance into wider society. The film also featured voice work from big-name actors like Demi Moore and Kevin Kline.
The film is often considered one of Disney's darkest animated endeavors. The villain, Judge Claude Frollo, is a religious fundamentalist who lusts after Esmerelda while attempting to eradicate her entire race of Romani people from the city of Paris. While contemporary reviews of Hunchback of Notre Dame were generally positive, the film's themes made it a tough sell to Disney's typically young audience. Despite the mixed success during its release, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame remains well remembered, with Josh Gad attached to produce and potentially star in a live-action remake.
In an interview with Collider, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise revealed that Mandy Patinkin auditioned for Quasimodo, and that it went incredibly poorly. Patinkin brought his own piano accompanist to the audition because he had rearranged the song that composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz had written. Trousdale and Wise left the room, so Menken and Schwartz could talk to Patinkin, who then followed them out of the room to move onto the dialogue portion of the audition. It was here, on the other side of the door, that things got especially interesting. According to Wise, "He was very gracious with us and he’s talking with us and nodding and a little bit intense. Then, in mid-sentence, Gary and I were talking and at one point Mandy goes, ‘Guys, I’m really sorry, I can’t do this.’ And he turns on his heel and he goes back into the room and shuts the door. Then the fireworks really started. The walls shook.” Needless to say, Patinkin did not land the role; the part eventually went to Tom Hulce of Animal House and Amadeus fame, and Trousdale and Wise now refer to the audition as "The Patinkin Incident."
Despite the flubbed audition, Patinkin has done quite well for himself in the days since and is particularly known for his role Saul Berenson on Homeland, a performance for which he earned four Emmy nominations. The actor is also well known for his work on Broadway, originating the roles of George in Sunday In The Park With George and Che in Evita, the latter of which he won a Tony Award, as well as his film role as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. Despite Menken and Schwartz's own Broadway histories, Patinkin was clearly not an ideal collaborator on their work and has not worked with anyone in the room for that audition since.
As Disney films reached new levels of success in the 1990s, the studio was able to attract bigger and bigger names. However, his story goes to show that even big-named actors can flop an important audition. While Patinkin certainly could have handled the role well, it simply was not a good fit for everyone involved. With the live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame remake still in development, perhaps Patinkin could land another audition. However, with Schwartz returning to write music, it seems like a longshot.
Source: Collider
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