„I’ve Never Spoken to Julia Again”. The Sudden Departure of Julia Roberts from the Movie, in Which $6 Million Was Reportedly Invested at the Time, Shocked the Crew
The producer of the film, in which Julia Roberts was involved up to a certain point, described the difficult cooperation that ended with the actress' departure.
Being at the height of her career, Julia Roberts reigned supreme on the screens, however, she also had some problems with the filmmakers she worked with. The conflict with Steven Spielberg is widely known and is still commented on today. However, apparently Roberts had problems not only with the famous director, but also with the producer, who described working with the actress.
Edward Zwick, who worked on Shakespeare in Love, in an essay for Air Mail shared his experiences on the set of that film, including his cooperation with Roberts, which did not go well. According to the producer, although initially nothing foreshadowed it, they found it difficult to communicate with each other because they had different expectations for the movie.
Although chemistry reads were planned for Roberts and candidates for the role of Shakespeare, the actress insisted that Daniel Day-Lewis partner her on screen. The producer quoted the artist in his essay.
He’s brilliant – he’s handsome and intense. And so funny! 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.
Zwick claims that Roberts did not show up for scheduled rehearsals, during which she was supposed to test her chemistry with other actors. The producer wrote that the actress continued to convince him that Day-Lewis would star in the film and they should cancel casting. He persisted, however, and still stood by his plan, and Roberts eventually took part in a rehearsal with Ralph Fiennes. Unfortunately, this one didn't go well and the producer called it a “disaster.” According to the producer, Roberts could not be convinced by any of the chosen candidates, which hampered the work, since without a cast Shakespeare they could not move on.
During subsequent rehearsals, Zwick confessed, it came to light that Roberts had not been working on her accent, which led to an awkward situation. The producer improperly approached the subject by talking to her about it, which, as Zwick described it, spooked the actress, who was under considerable pressure.
The problem wasn’t the script. Or Paul McGann. It was Julia. From the moment she began to speak it was clear she hadn’t been working on the accent. Sensing Julia’s discomfort, I tried to be encouraging, but she must have intuited my unease, and I made the tragic mistake of underestimating her insecurity. Having only recently been catapulted to the dizzying heights atop the Hollywood food chain, she must have been terrified to fail. But I would never get to talk her off the ledge.
The producer confessed that his mistake had serious consequences – the other day it turned out that Julia Roberts had left and dropped out of the project. This posed a big problem, since the studio had invested in the film mainly because of Roberts. According to Zwick, $6 million had already been spent. As a result, Universal, which was in charge of the production, was yet to compete for the actress, but this failed.
I’ve never spoken to Julia again. Instead, I’ve observed from afar as her work grew in depth and stature. I bear her no ill will. She was a frightened 24-year-old. I wasn’t much older, trying to act the grown-up as I watched the Globe Theatre torn down. And with it my dreams of grandeur.
Shakespeare in Love was later made by another studio, and starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes.
