Robert De Niro has admitted that Matt Damon was not the first choice for the lead role in The Good Shepherd.

The part was originally given to Leonardo DiCaprio, but the actor was forced to withdraw due to scheduling problems. Director De Niro was forced to re-open the part, which was then offered to Damon.

"Leonardo DiCaprio was originally going to do it, but he had schedule problems and it got so complicated," De Niro revealed. "I said I had to move on quickly because I had all the machinery of the movie moving forward."