See a Young Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio and Diane Lane Audition for “The Outsiders” in 1982
"Feels like this was just yesterday," Rob Lowe wrote in a comment to filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola's Instagram post showing auditions for 'The Outsiders'
1983's The Outsiders boasted a cast of young actors who went on to major Hollywood success. Over 40 years later, the film's director is sharing their star-making auditions.
On Wednesday, Francis Ford Coppola shared footage on Instagram of Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze and more from their auditions to portray a group of teenaged Oklahoma greasers in his film The Outsiders, based on author S.E. Hinton's 1967 novel of the same name.
Anthony Michael Hall also appears in one audition tape, reading for the role of the film's main character Ponyboy; C. Thomas Howell ultimately won the part.
"42 years ago we cast The Outsiders in a unique way. We had all the actors together on a soundstage and would alternate different actors reading for different roles," Coppola wrote in a caption to the video reel. He went on to describe that having each actor watch his peers audition "could’ve been a volatile situation, it turned into a very positive one."
"There emerged the natural respect and sense of colleagueship among them," the filmmaker added in his caption. "The result worked beautifully and reminded me of my days as a camp counselor."
Related: The Outsiders Cast: Where Are They Now?
A few of The Outsiders' stars commented on Coppola's post to reminisce on their time working on the movie. "The people that came to these auditions… so many went on to have great careers," Howell, 57, wrote in a comment. "Amazing."
"Feels like this was just yesterday!" Lowe, 59, added.
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"These auditions and this film experience still inform me today," Macchio, 62, shared. "Thank you, Francis (and Susie) ❤️." Filmmaker and actor Eli Roth added in his own comment that The Outsiders is an "instant classic," while actor Frank Grillo wrote that the audition footage "is amazing to see."
The Outsiders takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1960s and follows brothers Ponyboy Curtis (Howell), Darrel Curtis (Swayze) and Sodapop Curtis (Rob Lowe) and their group of friends some time after the death of the Curtis brothers' parents. Its plot largely revolves around conflicts between the group of greasers and more affluent teenagers in the city, known as Socs.
Dillon, 60, and Lane, 59, costarred in another movie Coppola adapted from a novel by author Hinton, Rumble Fish, also released in 1983.
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