Montgomery Clift was signed to play Joe Gillis for $5,000 per week for a guaranteed twelve weeks, but withdrew just before the start of filming, claiming his role of a young man involved with an older woman was too close to the one he had played in The Heiress (1949), in which he felt he had been unconvincing. An infuriated Wilder responded, "If he's any kind of actor, he could be convincing making love to any woman."Sikov, p. 288 Clift himself was having an affair with singer Libby Holman, 15 years his senior, which some have suggested was his real reason for withdrawing from the film.
Montgomery Clift was signed to play Joe Gillis for $5,000 per week for a guaranteed twelve weeks, but withdrew just before the start of filming, claiming his role of a young man involved with an older woman was too close to the one he had played in The Heiress (1949), in which he felt he had been unconvincing. An infuriated Wilder responded, "If he's any kind of actor, he could be convincing making love to any woman."Sikov, p. 288 Clift himself was having an affair with singer Libby Holman, 15 years his senior, which some have suggested was his real reason for withdrawing from the film.