The 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' actress reveals she didn't walk away, but she was fired from the movie which eventually helped Melissa McCarthy earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
- Mar 9, 2019
AceShowbiz - "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" helped Melissa McCarthy earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actress at the 2019 Academy Awards for her portrayal of author Lee Israel. But that Oscar-nominated role could have belonged to Julianne Moore.
The "Game Change" star was at one point attached to take the lead role in the biographical film when Nicole Holofcener was still on board as director. But the project fell apart six days before shooting was due to begin in 2015 and it was reported that Moore exited the movie. The Hollywood Reporter reported earlier this year, "It all fell apart when Moore left the movie over still-mysterious creative differences. Holofcener won't say what the problems were, but she too departed shortly afterward."
But now Moore has set things straight, clarifying that it wasn't her decision to leave the movie. Stopping by "Watch What Happens Live", the 58-year-old actress said she was fired, in contrary to the report saying she walked away from the project of her own accord.
"I didn't leave that movie, I was fired," Moore told host Andy Cohen. "Nicole [Holofcener] fired me. I think she didn't like what I was doing. I think that her idea of where the character was was different from my idea of where the character was, and so she fired me."
Holofcener eventually left the movie too, and she was replaced by Marielle Heller as director. Holofcener, however, was still credited as a co-writer and earned a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards, sharing the honor with Jeff Whitty.
Moore admitted she hasn't seen "Can You Ever Forgive Me?", because the experience of being fired from it is "still kind of painful." She, however, has nothing but love for McCarthy who replaced her in the film. "I love Melissa McCarthy, I worship her. I think she's fantastic," she said. "So I'm sure she's great."
McCarthy didn't win the Best Actress title, though. The accolade went to Olivia Colman for her portrayal of Queen Anne in "The Favourite". McCarthy's co-star Richard E. Grant was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but lost the prize to Mahershala Ali of "Green Book". Sam Rockwell was initially tapped for play the role that went to Grant.
