Trivia / Becket

• Cast the Runner-Up: Richard Burton claimed that he would have been better suited to play Henry.
• Creator Couple: Siân Phillips (Gwendolen) was Peter O'Toole's wife at the time of filming.
• Dueling-Stars Movie: It is Richard Burton, one of the most talented actors, co-starring with Peter O'Toole.
• Underage Casting: Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole were considerably younger than their characters were at the time of the events depicted in this movie.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Peter O'Toole had originally been set to star in the London stage production, but the long shooting schedule of Lawrence of Arabia prevented this from happening.
  • Alec Guinness turned down the role of King Louis, because he "didn't believe in (Becket) as a film".
  • Christopher Plummer played Henry II in the London stage production. He expressed in an interview that he expected to reprise the role on film, but it was given to his friend Peter O'Toole. Maximilian Schell was also considered.
  • Peter Glenville's first choice for Becket was Albert Finney. Glenville offered the role to Finney, who was keen to costar opposite O'Toole but ultimately turned it down to make Tom Jones. Other options for Becket were Peter Finch and Laurence Harvey.

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