Picnic (1955)

As I said earlier, I think he was too old for the part, but there was some vulnerability and desperation that that added to his performance, which for me made it all the more powerful. So I've always felt he was fine in the role. Ralph Meeker played it on Broadway when he was in his thirties, so he wasn't the right age either.

I did see a couple of tv film versions of it with younger actors, Josh Brolin for one, and they were quite mediocre - but then the directors didn't come close to understanding how to direct Inge.

And I saw Gregory Harrison and Jennifer Jason Leigh do it at the Ahmanson in LA, and it wasn't good either - again because the director didn't understand Inge (and he was a director who should have known better).

In the right circumstances, with the right director, maybe a younger actor would be a good thing. It would be interesting to see, certainly. But for better or worse, for decades William Holden has been the benchmark for me, and when I think of PICNIC, I just see him in the role.