It’s hard to picture anyone but Melissa McCarthy playing Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but that’s exactly what almost happened.
Julianne Moore recently appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and revealed that she has beef with the movie because she was supposed to star in it. Although initial reports claimed that she left due to “creative differences” with the original director, Nicole Holofcener, the 58-year-old actress confirmed that she was, in fact, fired.
“I didn’t leave that movie, I was fired,” Moore said. “Yeah, yeah, Nicole fired me.”
Moore went on to explain that they didn’t have the same vision in mind, adding, “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.”
Although she looks up to McCarthy, she still hasn’t seen the new version because the experience “is still kind of painful.”
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is based on the namesake memoir by Israel. The movie earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress in a Leading Role (McCarthy), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Richard E. Grant) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
One question still remains: Can Moore ever forgive Holofcener?
