The Sound of Music (film) of the film; the actor accepted after being assured that he could work with Lehman to improve the character; Plummer later described himself as having become quite arrogant at the time, "spoiled by too many great theater roles". Wise also spent considerable time and effort on casting the secondary characters. For the role of Max Detweiler, Wise initially considered Victor Borge, Noël Coward, and Hal Holbrook among others before deciding on Richard Haydn. For the character of Baroness Elsa Schraeder, Wise looked for a "name" actress—Andrews and Plummer were not yet widely known to film audiences—and decided on Eleanor Parker.
Laura Benanti Laura Benanti Laura Ilene Benanti (born Laura Ilene Vidnovic; July 15, 1979) is an American actress and singer. She played Louise in the 2008 Broadway revival of "Gypsy", winning the year's Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Benanti then appeared in the stage musical "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" in 2010, winning the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She played Baroness Elsa Schräder in the 2013 NBC television production of "The Sound of Music Live!" and in 2015 began playing twin sisters Alura and