Face/Off Werb and Michael Colleary tried to sell to a studio from as early as 1990. The first actors who were chosen to play Sean Archer and Castor Troy were Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger respectively but John Woo instead hired John Travolta and Nicolas Cage to play those characters. It took numerous studios, producers and rewrites before John Woo became attached several years later. For the Archer character, Woo considered casting either Michael Douglas or Jean-Claude Van Damme with whom he had worked in "Hard Target". When the film was eventually made, Douglas served as an executive producer. Werb and
John Friedrich (actor) John Friedrich (actor) John Friedrich (born March 15, 1958) is an American film actor. A character actor of the 1970s and early 1980s, John Friedrich is probably best known for his portrayal of Joey Capra in "The Wanderers" (1979), Philip Kaufman's film adaption of Richard Price's novel. A familiar face on television throughout the '70s, Friedrich made guest starring appearances on the police drama series, "Baretta", and "The Streets of San Francisco". He also had a strong supporting role in the John Travolta telefilm, "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble". In 1984 Friedrich played the lead role of Marshall Weatherly