Evil Dead's Bruce Campbell revealed the bizarre auditioning process he experienced for the title role of 1996's The Phantom.
Speaking with Alabama Life & Culture, Campbell recalled how he lost out on the superhero role. "Turned down? I don’t have a lot of those," he said. "I don’t operate in that rarified air of saying, 'Oh I turned Titanic down. I tried to get a part in a studio movie called The Phantom and Billy Zane wound up getting the part."
"And it was down to me and Billy, I was number two for the job, but I didn’t really enjoy the process very much because it seemed more political than actually acting," Campbell continued. "It was amazing how many people you had to audition for, and you had to go up the ranks and each time it got a little more tense as you move up. So I’m good doing these weirdo little movies."
Directed by Simon Wincer, The Phantom -- based on the pulp hero -- was released in 1996 to mixed critical reception and disappointing box office returns. Since then, however, the film has gained a cult following over the due to its home media releases.
Source: Alabama Life & Culture