Having seen Josh Brolin dressed up as George W. Bush, it’s hard to envision anyone else playing our Commander-in-Chief. But according to Oliver Stone, Brolin wasn’t the first person he had in mind for W..

In an interview with GQ, the controversial director admitted he originally wanted to land a much bigger star—for the movie and for the financing.

“Originally I went for Christian Bale. We did some rigorous prosthetic tests and spent a lot of dough—thousands and thousands of dollars—and then Christian said, ‘I just don’t feel like I can do it.’ I met Josh and liked him. He was more rural Americana. But man, he was scared s**tless.”

Wow. While I’m sure Brolin will do a fine job - his career has really peaked in the past year - I can only imagine that Bale would have taken the movie to an entire different level. I’m just surprised to hear that there was something out there Christian couldn’t do…

W. is scheduled to open this October 17—several weeks before the presidential election. Until then, a preview for the movie can be seen here.