How Saturday Night Live Ruined Michael Phelps’s Chances of Playing Tarzan

Alexander Skarsgård may be the custodian of the hallowed Tarzan loin cloth, but it almost went to a very different actor.

Well, when we say actor, we mean Olympic swimmer.

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The new take on the cinematic staple ‘The Legend of Tarzan’ was one of the final projects of the late super-producer Jerry Weintraub, who died last year.

He passed away while the movie was in post-production, and a Vanity Fair profile of Margot Robbie, who stars in the new movie, has revealed Weintraub’s first choice for the role.

“For a moment Jerry believed he’d found Tarzan in Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. It was all Jerry talked about. “It’s going to be like Johnny Weissmuller,” Jerry told me. “All the reporters are going to say, ‘Weintraub found the new Johnny Weissmuller!’” writes Rich Cohen in the profile.

Johnny Weissmuller was the iconic Tarzan, who played the role in the 1930s and 40s.

“At that point, Jerry had never seen Phelps do anything but get in and out of a pool,” continues Cohen.

But it was an unexpected intervention that changed Weintraub’s mind.

“Then, as if arranged, the swimmer hosted 'Saturday Night Live’. As this went on past Jerry’s bedtime, he asked his assistant to record it.

“Two minutes in, Jerry turned to his assistant and shouted, 'This isn’t Tarzan! This isn’t Johnny Weissmuller! He’s a goon! Why didn’t anyone tell me he’s a goon? Turn it off. Goddammit, turn it off’.”

And thus, Phelps’ future as a matinee idol was dashed before he even knew he was in the frame.

The role instead went to 'True Blood’ star Skarsgård, and the movie is now in cinemas.

Though Phelps would have been pretty good at the diving off the top of waterfalls stuff.

Image credits: Warner Bros/Rex Features/AP