<Li> Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary, an electrical lineman in Indiana who encounters and forms an obsession with unidentified flying objects . Steve McQueen was Spielberg's first choice . Although McQueen was impressed with the script, he felt he was not right for the role as he was unable to cry on cue . Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Gene Hackman turned down the part as well . Jack Nicholson turned it down because of scheduling conflicts . Spielberg explained when filming Jaws, "Dreyfuss talked me into casting him . He listened to about 155 days' worth of Close Encounters . He even contributed ideas ." Dreyfuss reflected, "I launched myself into a campaign to get the part . I would walk by Steve's office and say stuff like' Al Pacino has no sense of humor' or' Jack Nicholson is too crazy' . I eventually convinced him to cast me ." </Li> <Li> François Truffaut as Claude Lacombe, a French government scientist in charge of UFO - related activities in the United States . The UFO expert Jacques Vallée served as the real - life model for Lacombe . Gérard Depardieu, Philippe Noiret, Jean - Louis Trintignant and Lino Ventura were considered for the role . Internationally renowned as a film director, this was Truffaut's only acting role in a film he did not direct as well as his only role in an English language film . During filming, Truffaut used his free time to write the script for The Man Who Loved Women . He also worked on a novel titled The Actor, a project he abandoned . </Li> <Li> Teri Garr as Ronnie Neary, Roy's wife . Amy Irving, who would marry Spielberg in 1985, also auditioned for the role . </Li> <Li> Melinda Dillon as Jillian Guiler, Barry's mother . She forms a similar obsession to Roy's, and the two become friends . Teri Garr wanted to portray Jillian, but was cast as Ronnie . Hal Ashby, who worked with Dillon on Bound for Glory (1976), suggested her for the part to Spielberg . Dillon was cast three days before filming began . </Li>

What happened to the cast of close encounters