Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 Las Vegas heist movie “Ocean’s Eleven” is a whole lot of fun. Taking cues from the original 1960 film of the same name, which starred the Rat Pack as various skilled criminals working with con artist and thief Danny Ocean, “Ocean’s Eleven” is one of the ultimate heist flicks of all time. A big part of what makes it work, aside from Soderbergh’s skilled direction and a whip-smart script (courtesy of Soderbergh and co-writer Ted Griffin), is the incredible cast who surround George Clooney’s version of Danny Ocean. His team is made up of Brad Pitt as his best friend Rusty, Bernie Mac as conman and gambling enthusiast Frank, Elliott Gould as former casino owner Reuben Tishkoff, Don Cheadle as explosives expert Basher Tarr, Casey Affleck and Scott Caan as mechanics Virgil and Turk Malloy, Quin Shaobo as acrobat “The Amazing” Yen, Eddie Jemison as tech expert Livingston Dell, Carl Reiner as con man Saul Bloom, and Matt Damon as pickpocket Linus Caldwell. These eleven men help Danny rob Vegas casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), and it’s an absolute blast.
“Ocean’s Eleven” was so successful that it spawned two sequels and a spin-off, with many of the stars reprising their roles for at least “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen,” including Clooney, Pitt, and Damon. When the gang was all being assembled in the first place, however, Damon’s role nearly went to some other very high-profile actors, including Johnny Depp and hamburger salesman Mark Wahlberg.
Depp and Wahlberg were both offered the role of Linus and turned it down
At the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival (via the Independent), Soderbergh and Clooney talked about the troubled road to production for “Ocean’s Eleven,” which saw a lot of casting shuffles before it even started filming. Actors who wanted to work with Soderbergh on the project had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts and looming guild strikes, including Bruce Willis and Luke and Owen Wilson, and then there were some who, according to Clooney, just weren’t interested at all:
“Steven had just done ‘Erin Brockovich’ and ‘Traffic,’ and he was nominated for directing both films. So, people really wanted to work with Steven. […] Some very famous people told us to f*** right off. Mark Wahlberg, Johnny Depp. There were others. They regret it now.”
According to Variety, Mark Wahlberg was actually forced to back out because he had a commitment to film Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” remake, so it sounds less like he just turned it down to be rude and more like he had other (admittedly less cool) engagements. The trade noted that Damon was in talks to take the role at the point, but that there were concerns he might not be able to because he was set to star in “The Bourne Identity.” What an amazing time, the turn of the millennium. Depp wouldn’t be in anything massive until 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,” but it seems he wasn’t interested in appearing in “Ocean’s Eleven” and, to quote Clooney, told them to “f*** right off.” Thankfully, Damon was absolutely perfect for the role, and the other two were not.
Damon was ultimately the right pick for Linus
While we have to take Clooney’s word for the fact that Wahlberg and Depp regretted not taking the role, it is pretty possible given the success of the “Ocean’s” films and Damon’s continued role in not only Soderbergh’s trilogy, but his filmography as a whole. He’s a big part of the underrated “Ocean’s Twelve” and honestly, he’s a perfect part of the cast, balancing out Clooney/Danny’s smarminess and Pitt/Rusty’s sort of reckless cool. Damon is great at playing the unassuming nerd who’s actually kind of a badass, and he makes sense as one of the world’s best pickpockets. After all, he’s fairly unremarkable-looking, and when he’s dressed plainly, no one is going to be paying attention to whether or not he’s just a hair too close.
Neither Wahlberg nor Depp could pull off the role the same way, as Wahlberg is a bit too rough around the edges and Depp is too odd, especially at that period in his career. This was “Sleepy Hollow” and “The Ninth Gate” Johnny Depp, folks, who is a pretty far cry from boy-next-door Matt Damon.
In the end, it all worked out for the best, regardless of whether or not Clooney is right about their regrets. And as far as his regrets? He told the crowd, “I regret doing f***ing Batman.” We know, George. We know.
