EXCLUSIVE: David Bowie's 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' Hits 50 — And How Cult Movie Almost Never Got Blast Off

The 1976 sci-fi drama The Man Who Fell to Earth tells the story of an alien who comes to Earth disguised as a human in order to secure water for his dying planet, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

With a premise like that, who better to play the mysterious visitor than the Starman himself – rock icon David Bowie?

Director Nicolas Roeg didn't immediately have Bowie in mind.

His first choice was 6-foot-9 author Michael Crichton, whose tall, angular frame more closely matched the description of the alien in Walter Tevis' 1963 novel. Rocker Mick Jagger and actor Peter O'Toole were also considered, while the film's financial backers reportedly pushed for Robert Redford.

Roeg ultimately changed course after seeing Bowie in the 1975 documentary Cracked Actor and decided the singer's otherworldly presence made him perfect for the role of Thomas Jerome Newton – Bowie's first dramatic film performance.

In the movie, Newton arrives on Earth and quietly builds a high-tech corporation to earn the billions needed to construct a spacecraft capable of transporting water back to his parched home planet. His mission begins to unravel when he befriends Mary-Lou, played by American Graffiti Oscar nominee Candy Clark.

Through her, Newton discovers very human indulgences such as alcohol, television and sex – temptations that gradually derail his plans. Unlike many sci-fi tales, this one offers no warm E.T.-style happy ending.

The cast also includes Rip Torn as Dr. Nathan Bryce, a scientist who becomes Newton's confidant and eventually discovers his alien identity, and Buck Henry as Newton's business partner, Oliver V. Farnsworth. In a brief cameo, Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell even appears as himself.

Bowie later admitted that his mental state during filming was less than ideal. In a 1992 interview with the now-defunct Movieline magazine, he reportedly said he was consuming about 10 grams of cocaine a day during production. "I'm so pleased I made that movie, but I didn't really know what was being made," Bowie reflected in another interview the following year.

"My one snapshot memory of that film is not having to act. Just being me was perfectly adequate for the role."

Despite Bowie's hazy recollections, Roeg praised the singer's dedication. He arrived on set prepared, on time, and deeply committed to portraying an alien struggling to understand humanity. "David's a real living Renaissance figure," Roeg once said. "He goes away and reemerges bigger than before. He doesn't have a fashion – he's constantly expanding."

Clark later admitted she avoided Bowie's music while filming. After production wrapped, she attended one of his concerts and laughed, "Thank God I didn't see him before the movie – I would have been in awe, a complete groupie."

Bowie's sharp suits in the film were designed by costumer Ola Hudson, whose only film credit was this. Because Bowie was so thin, some of the outfits were actually boys' clothing. Hudson also happened to be the mother of guitarist Saul Hudson – better known to rock fans as Slash of Guns N' Roses.