Starring in movies like Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich, Julia Roberts not only gained critical acclaim but also solidified her status as one of the most beloved actresses in the industry. While she has achieved great success throughout her years in Hollywood, Roberts, like many other Hollywood stars, faced a moment of uncertainty that ultimately led her to pass on a potentially career-defining role in the 1998 period romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love.
Filmmaker Edward Zwick, who produced the 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, and Ben Affleck among others, recently discussed Roberts’ casting and the consequences of her departure from the project in an interview with IndieWire.
Edward Zwick Reflects on Julia Roberts’ Backing Out From Shakespeare in Love
Directed by John Madden and an ensemble cast including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, and Ben Affleck, the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love was a huge hit, earning $289 million at the box office and winning seven Oscars at the 71st Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and Best Actress to Paltrow for her performance as Viola de Lesseps.
However, the film was initially set to be directed by Edward Zwick and star Julia Roberts in the Oscar-winning role of Viola de Lesseps. Zwick, who later produced the film, reflected on Roberts backing out of the project in a recent interview with IndieWire. The filmmaker, who had high hopes for the collaboration, expressed disappointment in Roberts’ decision, saying,
“She was very young. There was a lot of pressure on her. She might have feared how she might have done in the role. But for whatever reason, she behaved badly—Whether there was another agenda there about other things with the star or Mike Ovitz, or God knows who, it just went away.”
He also shared that after the Notting Hill star left the movie, Universal chairman Tom Pollock, who supported the filmmaker initially, also “chickened out” without confronting the actress. However, Zwick also highlighted the opportunities that arose from the situation. He shared that it also came with an opportunity to work on the 1994 dramatic epic Legends of the Fall, which is still considered one of the best movies of Edward Zwick.
Why Julia Roberts Backed Out of Shakespeare in Love?
Before Gwyneth Paltrow took on the Oscar-winning role in the 1998 film, Julia Roberts was set to star in the movie. According to Edward Zwick, Universal Studios only agreed to produce Shakespeare in Love when the Oscar-winning actress expressed interest in the movie.
In an essay for Air Mail, the producer of the film recalled what led Roberts to back out of the movie. He shared that after casting the Wonder actress, they went to do a screentest with a number of “yet-to-be-discovered young actors” for the role of William Shakespeare.
However, Roberts was firm with casting Daniel Day-Lewis in the role, who according to Zwick committed to another film at the time, In the Name of the Father. “Did you see his performance in ‘A Room with a View?’ He’s done Shakespeare, too. Don’t you think he’d be perfect?… I can get him to do it,” he recalled Roberts’ words.
After two weeks of casting efforts, Roberts eventually agreed to test with actor Paul McGann. However, Zwick later learned from Roberts’ manager that she had flown back to the U.S. and decided to withdraw from the project. The filmmaker noted that he never had another conversation with Roberts after that.
Shakespeare in Love is available to stream on Max.
