Editing Anthony Perkins (section)

=== Missed roles ===
* Perkins was offered the lead role in ''Dancing in the Checkered Shade'', a John Van Druten play. "I had little money and was practically set for ''Dancing in the Checkered Shade''," Perkins recalled in 1956. "My agents were split in their decisions. New York said I should stay and do the play. Hollywood said I should come out and do [''Friendly Persuasion'']. It was like flipping a coin. So I took the picture." ''Dancing'' never made it to Broadway, while ''Friendly Persuasion'' earned Perkins an Academy Award nomination and Hollywood stardom.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=97}}
[[File:Anthony-Perkins-Drag.png|thumb|Perkins (wearing veil) in drag for ''The Matchmaker'' (1958), despite the fact that Paramount had just forbidden him from doing ''Some Like It Hot'' for its flamboyance]]
* Perkins tried out for the lead in ''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]'' and ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'', both of which went to [[James Dean]]. There were rumors that Perkins's ''East of Eden'' loss led [[Elia Kazan]], the film's director, to give Perkins the role of Tom Lee in ''Tea and Sympathy'', the Broadway play he was directing, but Kazan dismissed those notions as "bullshit."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=76}} (Perkins, however, was chosen over Dean for ''Friendly Persuasion'' and replaced him after his death in ''This Angry Age''.)
* Perkins was optioned as the lead in [[Harold Robbins]]'s ''A Stone for Danny Fisher'', but he was not interested in the film and turned it down. It later was known as ''[[King Creole]]'', a musical vehicle for popular teen idol and pop singer [[Elvis Presley]], whom Perkins was sometimes mistaken for.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=108}}
* Perkins was offered the role of Shell Oil Jr. in the 1959 comedy ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' with [[Marilyn Monroe]], which Monroe was reportedly excited about. Perkins, however, was forced to decline the opportunity by Paramount Studios executives, who did not want Perkins, who was already sexually ambiguous, in drag for a film.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=163}}
* Perkins, just as he was signed onto the commercially, critically, and culturally significant ''Psycho'', was encouraged to take the title role in a 20th-Century Fox biographical film, ''Dooley'', who just happened to be gay. ''Tea and Sympathy''{{'}}s [[Robert Anderson (playwright)|Robert Anderson]] wrote the script, and ''Greenwillow''{{'}}s [[George Roy Hill]] and ''Tall Story''{{'}}s [[Joshua Logan]] had expressed an interest in directing the film. [[Jack Lemmon]] and [[Montgomery Clift]] were also strong contenders for the main role. Perkins, however, was not allowed to audition after Paramount balked at the production cost.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=229}}
* Perkins was seriously considered for the role of Tony in the 1961 adaptation of ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'', although Paramount forced Perkins to rescind his audition as well. This instead planted the seeds of Perkins's lifelong friendship with ''West Side Story''{{'}}s lyricist, Stephen Sondheim.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=209}}
* Perkins was the first choice of [[Tennessee Williams]] and the play's director, [[Tony Richardson]], in the 1963 Broadway revival of Williams's play ''[[The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore]]'' with [[Tallulah Bankhead]]. As Tab Hunter said "Tony [Perkins] suggested me to Richardson after a scheduling conflict kept him from playing the part. This gesture meant the world to me{{nbsp}}... but in a very classy move, neither Richardson nor Perkins ever let on that I wasn't the first choice. It would be many years before I learned the truth, too many to be able to thank my old friend."{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=247}} The show, partly due to the then-recent [[assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of United States president John F. Kennedy]] which kept people inside, closed after three performances.
* Perkins was cast as Robert, the lead role, in the [[Stephen Sondheim]]-penned ''[[Company (musical)|Company]]'', which Perkins declined due to scheduling conflicts. Later in life, Perkins attributed his refusal to anxiety as well: "I had signed up to do the lead in ''Company'' and suddenly this specter rose up in front of me–of performing again for a year and a half–and I dreaded it." Some people also believed his refusal was because Robert was a seemingly flamboyant character.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=288}}
* Perkins, after cowriting the script of the movie with Stephen Sondheim, was encouraged to take the role of Clinton, the lead antagonist, in ''[[The Last of Sheila]]'' (1973). Sondheim was one of the major supporters of this casting, seeing Perkins as perfect for the role. Perkins, however, thought it played too much into his already-established deranged persona and passed it up to [[James Coburn]] instead.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=326}}
* Perkins played a horror writer, Anthony Strack, in the television pilot for the show ''The Ghost Writer'', which Perkins was enthusiastic about in terms of its prospects, believing it would be the perfect way for him to transition into more comical roles on both stage and screen. The pilot never sold.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=441}}
* Perkins agreed to provide the voice for the role of the dentist, Dr. Wolfe, in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Last Exit to Springfield]]", but died before the part could be recorded. The character was voiced by ''Simpsons'' regular [[Hank Azaria]].<ref name="Jean">{{cite video|people=Jean, Al|year=2004|title=The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode 'Last Exit to Springfield'| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>