The major headache for Sturges here had, at least initially, nothing to do with Brynner and McQueen. It was the other five members of the titular team that was a problem, primarily because he had yet to cast them.
This is where the strike threatened to shut down “The Magnificent Seven.” As actor Robert Vaughn recalled, “Unless the casting for a picture was completed by noon on a particular Friday, production couldn’t begin.”
Though Sturges and Brynner were respected by their peers, many name actors were reluctant to join the production as supporting members of the seven; e.g. John Ireland and Sterling Hayden rejected the role of knife-thrower Britt (a part that went a long way toward making James Coburn a star). There was also the matter of casting the numerous villagers and the villains. It wasn’t quite a cast of thousands, but there were dozens of speaking roles to fill, and that strike date wasn’t going away.
