Deliverance to play Lewis Medlock. Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of Ed, while both Donald Sutherland and Charlton Heston turned down the role of Lewis. Other actors who were attached to the project included Robert Redford, Henry Fonda, George C. Scott and Warren Beatty. The film is infamous for cutting costs by not insuring the production and having the actors perform their own stunts (most notably, Jon Voight climbed the cliff himself). In one scene, the stunt coordinator decided that a scene showing a canoe with a dummy of Burt Reynolds in it looked phony; he said it looked
Ronny Cox plays the instrumental "Dueling Banjos" on his guitar with a banjo-playing mountain boy, played by child actor Billy Redden. He was hired for the role because he could play the guitar. Cox published a book in 2012 in which he recounted his experiences making the film. In 1974–1975, Cox starred in the short-lived family-oriented series entitled "Apple's Way", created by Earl Hamner, creator of "The Waltons". He also appeared as Mr. Webb in a television production of "Our Town". In 1977, he appeared in the episode "Devil Pack" from the series "Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected" (known in the