Billy Bob Thornton revealed he once auditioned for Misery and was initially cast — a surprise to his longtime friend and co-star Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for her role in the movie. In a conversation for Variety’s Actors on Actors, Thornton recalled that director Rob Reiner had chosen him to play a deputy sheriff, but later called him personally to say the character had been written out of the script before filming began. Though he missed out on Misery, Thornton respected Reiner's honesty and said he appreciated the call. Bates agreed, calling it a rare and thoughtful gesture from a director. Thornton and Bates eventually worked together on Primary Colors (1998) and Bad Santa 2 (2016).