Auditions for "The Outsiders" were not held in a room with a casting director and a small group of production staff. They were instead held on a soundstage with actors called in as groups, Rob Lowe wrote in 2011 (via Vanity Fair). "This looks like a cattle call with every important, young working actor in the universe. Emilio [Estevez], ever the old soul, smiles and shakes his head. 'Hey, it's Francis.'" Estevez's father, Martin Sheen, had witnessed Francis Ford Coppola's unusual style when making "Apocalypse Now."
Performers were often told while onstage to switch roles on a dime, keeping everyone on their toes as they jumped into performances with no preparation. Lowe recalled Tom Cruise coming out of the soundstage and saying he had read for Sodapop, for instance, the role Lowe would end up taking.
Lowe also revealed that Coppola played Italian music while throwing different roles to various actors. "My tastes run toward Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, so I'm a little foggy on the genre of extremely emotional Italian music emanating from the turntable. Francis has an assistant with him, no one else, and she turns down the music. Francis walks to the edge of the illuminated area and looks out at us. No small talk, no introductions. He gets right to it," Lowe recalled.
Unusual? Definitely. But considering the number of stars who launched careers off of "The Outsiders," it's difficult to argue with Coppola's results.
