Francis Ford Coppola shares “The Outsiders” audition footage, with young Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, and more

The audition process for the 1983 film asked each actor to read lines for every role.

Francis Ford Coppola is celebrating The Outsiders with an adorable blast from Hollywood's past.

More than 40 years after its release, the 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton's classic novel remains highly regarded, in part because of the many young cast members who would go on to achieve major success. In honor of those star-making performances, the film's director shared footage of the auditions that started it all — including the likes of Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe.

"42 years ago we cast The Outsiders in a unique way," Coppola wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday. "We had all the actors together on a soundstage and would alternate different actors reading for different roles."

He continued: "It was interesting because each of them was watching their competition, so while it could've been a volatile situation, it turned into a very positive one. There emerged the natural respect and sense of colleagueship among them. The result worked beautifully and reminded me of my days as a camp counselor."

As promised, the footage features the actors reading the parts of various characters from the coming-of-age story, including roles they wouldn't go on to play. Anthony Michael Hall appears in one audition tape, reading for the role of main character Ponyboy — ultimately, it was C. Thomas Howell who booked the part.

A few of the stars chimed in with comments on Coppola's post, reminiscing about the experience. "The people that came to these auditions… so many went on to have great careers," Howell wrote. "Amazing."

"These auditions and this film experience still inform me today," Macchio wrote, thanking the Oscar-winning filmmaker, while Lowe added, "Feels like this was just yesterday!"

The film, like the novel, revolves around rival teen gangs in a rural Oklahoma town: the poor Greasers and the wealthy Socs. After Ponyboy and Johnny (Macchio) get into a deadly brawl, they're forced to go into hiding as both gangs come to terms with the consequences of their violent lives.

The Outsiders stars previously spoke of the intense audition process, filled to the brim with up-and-coming talent, while reflecting on the experience for EW's 2021 oral history of the movie.

"Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Dennis Quaid, Mickey Rourke… it was a movie everybody wanted to be in," Macchio recalled. "Leif Garrett was probably the most famous guy who walked in."

Garrett, who eventually landed the role of Bob Sheldon, remarked, "It was all day long, and it was a process of elimination. I really wanted to be Ponyboy, because that's the role. But I wasn't right for it. I'm not that greasy."

Coppola concluded, "It was competitive. But it only spurred them on."

Footage of the auditions was also included as bonus material in previous home-video releases. You can watch the clips shared by Coppola above.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.