Washington DC [US], July 6 : Actor Sam Rockwell said he is still receiving residual checks for the 1989 film 'Lean on Me', despite not appearing in the movie, reported People.
Rockwell said he was technically cast in the film, but another famous actor ultimately played his part
The actor shared the information while appearing on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz.
During the conversation, Rockwell said that when he was still a struggling young actor, he and several other up-and-comers drove to New Jersey together for an audition.
"Michael Imperioli and I, and Kevin Corrigan drove in a van to New Jersey to audition for one line in Lean on Me," Rockwell recalled.
He continued, "And I got it, and then they never got to my scene [during the shoot day], so they had to let me go because they didn't want to pay me for a week ... they either have to pay you for a day player or a week. So they let me go ... because they were like, 'Eh, we can't pay him for a week for one line.' And they hired Michael in the movie. And I still get residual checks for that even though I'm not in it," according to People.
Rockwell further shared that the movie wasn't the only time he and Imperioli crossed paths in the early days of their career.
"They called me to do Celebrity, and I was part of Leonardo DiCaprio's entourage. And I had a few lines, and they said director 'Woody Allen wants you to dye your hair bleach blonde.' And I said I'm not dying my hair bleach blonde for like five lines, what are you crazy?' And they're like, 'Woody wants you to do it!' And I'm like, 'Well, I'm not doing it!'," said Rockwell.
"And they're like, 'Well, Michael Imperioli was gonna do it!'," added the actor.
"Because he [Michael] had dropped out [of the project], and I was replacing Michael because Michael was gonna do a little pilot called Sopranos," Rockwell explained, adding, "And I said, 'Alright, I'll dye my hair.' "
Rockwell garnered critical acclaim and fan recognition for his role in the third season of HBO's White Lotus, in which he appeared with his longtime partner, actress Leslie Bibb. Rockwell will also be reprising his role as "Mr. Wolf" in DreamWorks' The Bad Guys 2, which premieres in theatres nationwide on August 1, according to People.