Garth Brooks has had an unbelievable career as a country singer, there’s no denying that. The man has sold more than 68 million albums in America and is up there with Elvis Presley and The Beatles among the best-selling artists in the United States of all time. Impressive. But unlike The Beatles and Elvis Presley, an acting career has always seemed to have eluded the man. Now in a lawsuit against Brooks filed by Lisa Sanderson, a former production partner, various claims have been levied against the country star that might make you see him in a different light.
Sanderson claims that Garth Brooks had been offered multiple movie roles years ago, including “Twister” and “Saving Private Ryan.” The singer apparently refused a role in “Saving Private Ryan” because he did not want to share a spotlight with the likes of Matt Damon and Tom Hanks. Brooks also turned down a role in “Twister” because he refused to share the screen with a tornado, which he claimed was the real star of the film. Perhaps if Garth Brooks was offered the role of the tornado, he might have changed his mind.
Various claims in the lawsuit expose Garth Brooks as a bit of an egomaniac. He also apparently burned bridges with Tim Burton and 20th Century Fox, on separate occasions. His production apparently was speaking with Burton about “Alice In Wonderland” and “Alyss” (a Burton penned screenplay) at various points. Meanwhile, with Fox, who talked to Brooks about a script he wrote concerning a rock star “worth more dead than alive” he claimed that his father was dead (he wasn’t at the time) and he refused to share his music with the studio.
We may never know of a world where Garth Brooks has an acting career and perhaps we are better off that way. Frankly, knowing that Garth Brooks is a crazed egomaniac actually makes him sound more interesting. It’ll also be interesting to see if Lisa Sanderson’s lawsuit actually pans out, though we’re not sure you can sue someone just for being an asshole. [AV Club]
