Heston and Sutherland Rejected Deliverance Before Reynolds Rose to Fame

Two established Hollywood actors declined roles in Deliverance before director John Boorman assembled the cast of the 1972 thriller that helped make Burt Reynolds a major star. Published October 8, 2026, a report by Men's Journal revisited why Charlton Heston and Donald Sutherland passed on the film, which starred Reynolds as Lewis Medlock and featured Jon Voight.

Deliverance has maintained a strong reputation among American thrillers. The American Film Institute ranked it No. 15 on its 100 Years…100 Thrills list, while Rotten Tomatoes records a 90% score based on 68 reviews.

The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes credits Boorman's direction and Reynolds' performance for the film's lasting impact.

"Given primal verve by John Boorman's unflinching direction and Burt Reynolds' star-making performance, Deliverance is a terrifying adventure." The Rotten Tomatoes critics' consensus stated.

The film also received praise for its thematic depth. The Guardian critic Derek Malcolm viewed the story as an allegory about American society while emphasizing its effectiveness as a cinematic experience.

"It is also a finely structured allegory about America and Americans," wrote Derek Malcolm in The Guardian.

Malcolm also highlighted the film's ability to work on a straightforward level while encouraging audiences to reflect on its meaning.

"But at least it works properly on a more basic level. It's good to watch, and then to think about." Malcolm wrote.

Boorman initially considered several other actors for the production. According to IndieWire, he approached Lee Marvin, who had worked with the director on Point Blank. Marvin read the material and advised Boorman to choose younger performers. Jack Nicholson was subsequently announced for the role of Ed, but his involvement proved too expensive.

Warner Bros. also pursued Heston for the central role of Lewis, according to film author Brian Hannan. Heston's published journals, collected in The Actor's Life, documented his reason for declining the opportunity.

"I probably won't have time to do it," Heston wrote.

Sutherland also rejected the project because he was uncomfortable with its violence, according to IndieWire. Although some accounts have associated his decision with the role of Lewis, Sutherland said Boorman had actually tried to recruit him to play Ed, the character eventually portrayed by Voight.

Sutherland later described his decision as a mistake, while acknowledging that accepting the role might have changed the course of his personal life.

"It's embarrassing, because John Boorman is a brilliant filmmaker, and my reasons were all dumb. I didn't want to be in a violent movie. Dumb, really dumb.

And I regret that. But if I had made it, maybe my life would have gone somewhere else, and I wouldn't have ended up in Saskatoon in 1971 and met my wife." Sutherland explained.

Beyond its critical standing, Deliverance also made an impression through its music. The film's Dueling Banjos track spent four weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, extending the production's reach beyond movie theaters.