Paul Newman on the One Actor He Couldn’t Match

Paul Newman’s rise to the heights of the silver screen was marked by a blend of striking looks, undeniable charisma, and genuine talent. Yet, he often described his achievements as a matter of fortune rather than design. Newman coined the phrase ‘Newman’s Luck’ to sum up the string of events that propelled him from a theatre hopeful in the late 1940s to a leading figure in Hollywood by the mid-1960s. There was a touch of modesty in his assessment, but it wasn’t entirely misplaced.

One of the more sobering realities of his ascent was the role played by James Dean’s tragic passing. Newman and Dean were not only contemporaries but also friendly rivals, frequently vying for the same roles. Dean’s untimely death created opportunities that Newman was quick to seize. He stepped into the lead for a live adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Battler after Dean’s absence left a vacancy. Dean had also been the original choice for the role of Rocky Graziano in Robert Wise’s Somebody Up There Likes Me—a pivotal part that marked Newman’s first major lead in a feature film and helped him move past the disappointment of The Silver Chalice. While it’s impossible to say whether Newman would have reached the same heights had Dean lived, there’s no denying that fate played a significant part in his journey.

Brando’s Unmatched Presence

During the 1950s, another name frequently appeared alongside Dean’s on casting lists: Marlon Brando. Brando quickly established himself as a force unlike any the industry had seen before. Trained in method acting under Lee Strasberg, he brought a raw, natural energy to his performances, coupled with a rugged handsomeness that set him apart. Given their similar ages and the fact that both favoured a more authentic approach to acting, it was inevitable that Brando and Newman would be compared.

Despite the comparisons, Newman was acutely aware of the differences between them. He recognised that he lacked the same instinctive, almost primal intensity that Brando brought to the screen. Reflecting on Brando’s unique abilities, Newman once remarked to Oriana Fallaci,

“It’s his ability to burn like a volcano that is about to explode. It’s being Brando and only Brando, which is to say the best actor that we have in the US, and to remain Brando.”

Different Approaches to the Craft

Newman saw himself as something of a chameleon, adapting to each role as required. He explained,

“I’m not always myself. If I play a cowboy, I’m a cowboy. If I play a surgeon, I’m a surgeon. And if I play a gigolo, I’m a gigolo. When people watch Brando instead, they watch Brando playing the cowboy, the surgeon, the gigolo. As for our physical resemblance: there’s nothing I can do about it. I can just let my beard grow.”

He did, in fact, grow a beard once, much to the dismay of his wife, Joanne Woodward.

For Newman, the distinction was clear: while he could inhabit a character, Brando’s presence was so powerful that audiences always saw the man himself, regardless of the part. It was a quality Newman admired but never claimed for his own. Instead, he accepted his own strengths and limitations, content to let his career be shaped by a mixture of talent, timing, and, as he liked to say, a fair bit of luck.