Give Entertainment Weekly credit - while the mainstream media hardly
mentioned the passing of Roy Scheider, the magazine's website has
several excellent tribute to the star of Jaws, The French Connection and All That Jazz. There is a brief but very candid interview with William Friedkin, who directed Scheider in his Oscar-nominated performance in The French Connection as well as in the big budget, ill-fated 1977 adventure film Sorcerer. Friedkin
reveals that he very much wanted Steve McQueen for the starring role in that film
but refused McQueen's demand that a female role be written for Ali
MacGraw. Friedkin hired Scheider to star, but the two had a contentious
relationship on the set of the very demanding production. What emerged
is one of the truly under-rated adventure films, but the difficulties
in bringing it to the screen resulted in hard feelings between director
and star. Friedkin also reveals he wanted Scheider to play the Father
Karras role in The Exorcist but author William Peter Blatty threw cold water on the decision and Jason Miller was ultimately cast.
To read the interview click here
To read writer Chris Nashawaty's tribute to Scheider's work in
The Seven Ups click hereTo read writer Gary Susman's appreciation of Scheider click here