 When discussing whom to cast as Jekyll/Hyde, studio head  Adolph Zukor (qv) initially suggested Irving Pichel (qv) for the  part. Director Rouben Mamoulian (qv) turned it down because he  wanted an actor who could play both parts convincingly and felt  Pichel could only play Hyde. Phillips Holmes (I) (qv) was  considered and rejected for the opposite reason: he would have been  a good Jekyll but a poor Hyde. Mamoulian then suggested  Fredric March (qv). Zukor felt that this was a bad choice because,  up till then, March had been featured in mostly lightweight roles.  Mamoulian insisted that March was perfect for the part, and Zukor  acquiesced. In addition to winning March the first of his two  Oscars, Jekyll/Hyde was the part that finally lead to Hollywood  taking him seriously in more demanding roles.