Francis Ford Coppola celebrates his unforgettable film Strangers With footage of auditions that brought together the film’s young stars, almost all of whom went on to greater glory.
Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe were part of the magical cast.
“For 42 years, we threw Strangers “In a unique way,” Coppola wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday. “We had all the actors together on the sound stage and we would rotate with different actors reading for different roles.”
He continued: “It was interesting because each of them was watching their competition, so even though the situation could have been volatile, it turned into a very positive one. A natural respect and sense of camaraderie emerged between them. The result was great and reminded me of my working days.” As a camp counselor.
The shared footage shows the actors reading from the coming-of-age story, including what roles they will not be playing. Anthony Michael Hall appears in one audition tape, reading for the role of the main character Ponyboy, which went to C. Thomas Howell.
A few actors added comments to Coppola’s post, recalling the experience. “The people who attended these auditions…many of them went on to have great careers,” Howell wrote. “surprising.”
“These tests and this cinematic experience still inform me today,” Macchio wrote, thanking the Oscar-winning director, while Lowe added: “I feel like this was only yesterday!”
The film tells about rival teenage gangs in a rural town in Oklahoma: the poor greasers and the rich greasers. After Ponyboy and Johnny (Macchio) get into a deadly brawl, they are forced to go into hiding.