Goldie Hawn revealed that she was once set to star in the hit musical Chicago in the 1980s, until now-disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein helped her out of the role due to age.
Hawn, 77, said she was set to star in the film and produce it nearly four decades ago before Weinstein, 70, who Paris Hilton recently accused of trying to follow her into a bathroom in Cannes, tried to introduce a 20-year-old actress. years younger. that she, according to a recent profile in Variety.
Weinstein and his former production and distribution company, Miramax, finally released the film in 2002 to rave reviews from critics, six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and more than $300 million at the worldwide box office.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, who took over the role that Hawn had helped develop, was honored with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role, though it may not have done Hawn much harm as she already had the same trophy. For his role. in Cactus Flower of 1969.
But the veteran star noted that at least she was paid the full amount she was owed, even though Weinstein had kicked her out of his own project.
Missed opportunity: Goldie Hawn, 77, revealed to Variety that she was set to star in and produce a version of the hit musical Chicago in the 1980s, until disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein kicked her out of the project; seen in 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Set aside: Hawn had developed the musical in the 1980s, but says Weinstein commissioned a new script that made her character 20 years younger than her, which pushed her away from the role; seen in 2009 with Weinstein and his daughter Kate Hudson
It’s gotta hurt: Catherine Zeta-Jones later won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role Hawn would have played, and Chicago won five other Oscars, including Best Picture.
According to Hawn, he was going to star in the ’80s version of Chicago with Madonna in the role that ultimately went to Renée Zellweger.
The stage show, with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Ebb and original conductor Bob Fosse, was still relatively recent at the time after opening in 1975.
“Harvey basically undermined me and Madonna,” Hawn told the publication. ‘I really don’t know how he felt about it. You know, he just went with the flow.
She had significant creative control over the development of the film project due to her status as producer, but Weinstein found his way into development due to his role at Miramax, which he co-founded with his brother Bob Weinstein in 1979.
He reportedly commissioned a new script for the film, which Hawn’s character Velma Kelly now wrote when she was 23, even though she was 20 years older than that.
The Overboard actress was furious with Weinstein and confronted him about the changes, which jeopardized her future with the project.
“I told him, ‘Don’t fuck with me. Because I know exactly what you’re doing. We made a deal,'” he recalled saying.
With her seemingly out of the picture, Chicago collected dust until it was revived to become the 2002 hit musical, which also starred Richard Gere and John C. Reilly.
Despite the venom she directed at Weinstein, he eventually acquiesced and paid her what she was owed for her work on the earlier version of Chicago.
“You go up against a bully and sometimes you win,” he added.
Ironically, Hawn felt optimistic about Weinstein after he paid her off, before the extent of his sexual crimes became public.
I said to him afterwards, “You know the best part about getting paid? Not the money. You restored my faith in dignity and ethics.”
“Little did I know,” he added.
Female Leads: Hawn was set to co-star with Madonna in the role eventually filled by Renée Zellweger; seen in 1980
Cashed in: Weinstein’s version lay dormant until the 2002 version, but he still had to pay Hawn what he was owed. He was later sent to prison for decades for his sexual crimes; seen in 2011 in Cannes, France
Now, she says Weinstein, who will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, is “finally living out his karma.”
In 2020, he was found guilty of a criminal sex act and third-degree rape, charges that earned him 23 years in prison.
He was convicted in New York, but was later charged with additional crimes in California and extradited to Los Angeles.
Weinstein was found guilty of three of seven counts in December 2022, and was sentenced to an additional 16 years, which he will begin serving immediately after his previous sentence expires.