When it comes to classic 80s movies, few have been as impactful or as popular as The Breakfast Club. The film’s plot is simple in that it just focuses on high school students spending a detention together on a Saturday in Shermer, Illinois, but what takes place during that fateful day has kept people coming back for more for over 35 years.
Before filming got underway, each role needed to be filled, and at one point, a young Nicolas Cage found himself up for one of the biggest roles in the film. This would have been a huge break for Cage, but ultimately, he missed out on a huge opportunity.
Let’s see which Breakfast Club role Cage was up for back in the 80s.
He Was Up For The Role Of John Bender
Back in the 80s, many actors who are popular now were doing their best to get their big break in projects that had a ton of potential. For Nicolas Cage, this meant trying to land the role of John Bender in The Breakfast Club prior to the movie’s release back in 1985.
Before being in contention for the role of John Bender, Nicolas Cage was starting to gain some traction on the big screen. While his role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High was nothing to brag about, he did have a starring role in Valley Girls and had also appeared in the film adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel, Rumble Fish. Despite this, however, Cage was nowhere close to being what he is now in terms of name recognition.
As for the film itself, The Breakfast Club was poised to be something special, as it was coming on the heels of John Hughes’ classic, Sixteen Candles. Hughes had predominantly worked as a screenwriter prior to his successful time as a director on Sixteen Candles, and with his proven track record of films, getting a starring role in a John Hughes film could have done wonders for a performer’s career.
As great as it was the Cage was being considered for the role, he was not the only actor with a chance at playing John Bender. This stiff competition ultimately played a huge part in the right person landing the job.
John Cusack Was Initially Cast In The Role
Another notable name that was in consideration for John Bender was John Cusack, who would have completely changed the role with his casting. In fact, given what he has gone on to do, it is almost impossible for some to imagine what the role of John Bender would have looked like with Cusack holding things down.
Interestingly, Cusack did appear in Hughes’ Sixteen Candles back in 1984, albeit in a smaller supporting role. This means that he not only had experience working with Hughes, but he also had experience working with future Breakfast Club performers like Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. This was a huge advantage for the performer to have over the competition, and it led to him being cast in the role, per Goliath.
However, despite having the role in the bag, John Hughes would ultimately decide to go a different direction. Per Goliath, Hughes did not think that Cusack looked threatening enough for the character, and this led to a change before filming got underway. This must have been a huge blow for Cusack, but things wound up working out just fine for the performer.
Judd Nelson Gets The Gig
After swiping the role of Bender right from under John Cusack, Judd Nelson became a household name in the 80s thanks to his iconic performance in the movie. Making a successful flick is all about finding the right actor for a role, and there was simply no one that could have played this character better than Judd Nelson.
Released back in 1985, The Breakfast Club became a success at the box office and ultimately turned into one of the best films of the 1980s. Even now, people still watch this film regularly and make their way back to high school to hang out with their friends stuck in detention on that fateful Saturday.
Despite not getting the role, both Nicolas Cage and John Cusack have gone on to be successful actors in the business. Sure, missing out on John Bender must have hurt, but these guys wound up finding their footing and cementing their own legacies. Nicolas Cage would win an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas, while Cusack would be nominated for a Golden Globe for High Fidelity.
The Breakfast Club is a classic of the 80s, and it would have looked a lot different with Nicolas Cage in the role of John Bender.