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This impressed the filmmakers so much that the character was rewritten into a comical villain with a heavy emphasis on humor. Under the belief that he wasn't right for that portrayal, Woods approached Hades casually, delivering dialogue as if he were a sleazy car salesman.
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As the procedure with the previous actors, Woods was asked to give a straightforward performance. The direction of the character altered greatly, however, when James Woods auditioned for the role. Like with the original Nicholson version, Hades was still portrayed in a fairly serious light during auditions. Lithgow was released from the role because the directors thought he did not work. In addition to Nicholson, Willem Dafoe, David Bowie, and John Lithgow were once considered for the role of Hades.
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However, Nicholson left the project because he demanded $10-$15 million, plus a 50% cut of all the proceeds from Hades merchandise, of which Disney declined.
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Nicholson visited the studio and met with directors John Musker and Ron Clements in 1995 to familiarize himself with the character. This early, slow-talking portrayal of the character was intended to be played by Jack Nicholson so much so, that character designer Gerald Scarfe's initial sketches of Hades bore a resemblance to Nicholson. Originally, Hades was envisioned as a more somber and dramatic villain, in a similar vein of Ursula from The Little Mermaid or Jafar from Aladdin. When angered, his hair and face become a passionate red/orange.
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When relaxed or upbeat, his flaming hair and skin retain a calming blue color. Hades is hot-headed, both figuratively and literally. Despite their constant colossal failures and lies, Hades seems to have a surprising amount of faith in these imps as he continuously sends them out with various missions and tasks, most of which are rather major. The two fear Hades immensely and are used as punching-bags during his outbursts, typically as punishment for their incompetence being a recurring hindrance in Hades' schemes. In the Underworld, Hades is aided by his two shapeshifting lackeys, Pain and Panic. As such, he often allies himself with various beasts and creatures lurking through Greece, hiring them to do his bidding the most notable example being the Titans, who were imprisoned by Zeus eons ago. Though powerful in his own right, Hades is considerably weaker than Zeus and cannot overthrow him alone. Because of this, Hades secretly plots to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus as the King of Deities, himself. Unbeknownst to Zeus and the other deities, however, Hades despises the Underworld, as well as his job, finding them both gloomy, depressing, and overbearing. Hades was granted ownership of the Underworld by Zeus, unwillingly.
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