The role of RP McMurphy in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' required an actor of high caliber. Somehow, they had to make the career criminal lovable and relatable, and bring color to an extremely difficult topic. Only the best of the best were considered, and the charismatic Jack Nicholson took home a 'Best Actor' Oscar for his terrific performance. Gene Hackman was in the audience that night, applauding and regretting his life choices.
Hackman had been offered Nicholson's part, feeling burnt-out from filming 'The French Connection' and wanting to take a longer break before stepping back in front of the cameras. If he wanted someone to share his regrets with, he could have found the legendary Marlon Brando for a chat - Brando passed on the role as well! Hackman's career turned out just fine in the long run, but McMurphy is the kind of part that any actor should want.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.