 The role of Billy Flynn was offered several times to  John Travolta (qv) before eventually going to Richard Gere (qv).  This is the fourth film that Travolta has turned down and Gere  accepted; the other three are: _American Gigolo (1980)_ (qv),  _Days of Heaven (1978)_ (qv), and  _Officer and a Gentleman, An (1982)_ (qv). Travolta has said that he  deeply regrets declining the part.