How movie ‘Shakespeare in Love’ almost fell apart when original star Julia Roberts pulled out

A retrospective of the 1999 Oscar-winning hit film Shakespeare in Love has revealed that disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein threatened to kill a producer’s family if he didn’t resign.

Edward Zwick, one of the producers of the film that grossed nearly $300 million and took home seven Academy Awards, also revealed that Julia Roberts was originally slated in 1991 to play the role for which Gwyneth Paltrow ultimately won the award. award for Best Actress.

Roberts has claimed in the past that he dropped out of the role after finding out that Daniel Day-Lewis was not going to play his on-screen counterpart.

Zwick revealed that “the very idea of ​​having the Pretty Woman wearing a corseted dress” was enough for Universal Pictures to come on board.

“Someone, possibly her manager or agent, had found out about the project and hinted to Universal that Julia might be interested in starring in a period romantic comedy, possibly this one,” Zwick wrote in Air mail Friday.

He noted that Roberts was going through a torrid personal situation at the time, having “more or less” left his fiancée Kiefer Sutherland at the altar and was “living out” with the actor’s friend, Jason Patric.

On a flight with Zwick to London, Roberts revealed that he wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to play the part of Shakespeare, which ultimately went to Joseph Fiennes.

He is bright, handsome and intense. And so much fun! Did you see her performance in A Room with a View? He has also done Shakespeare. Don’t you think that would be perfect?!

Zwick had to inform Roberts that while he agreed, Day-Lewis had already agreed to do In the Name of the Father.

Roberts was not intimidated, sending Day-Lewis two dozen roses and asking the legendary actor to “be my Romeo.”

After Day-Lewis couldn’t be convinced, Roberts tried the likes of Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Colin Firth, Sean Bean, Jeremy Northam, but there was something he didn’t like about all of them.

However, the star ultimately had to leave the film because, despite dialect lessons from coach Joan Washington, she was unable to achieve the voice necessary to play Viola de Lesseps.

‘[O]Once he started to say the words, something was wrong. There was no magic. The problem was not the script. Or Paul McGann. she was julia. From the moment she started speaking, it was clear that he hadn’t been working on the accent,” Zwick said.

Edward Zwick, one of the producers of the nearly $300 million gross that took home seven Academy Awards, also revealed that Julia Roberts was originally slated in 1991 to play the role that broke Gwyneth Paltrow as a star and won her her award for Best Actress.

Paltrow arrives for the premiere of Shakespeare in Love at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on December 3, 1998.

The film, starring Paltrow and Ralph Fiennes, won seven Oscars.

After Roberts left and with the movie on the line, Zwick was contacted by the now-disgraced Weinstein.

At the time, he passed by noting that the film had already invested $6 million before filming a scene with Roberts, but he encouraged Zwick to continue pitching the film in Hollywood.

Couples like Kenneth Branagh and Winona Ryder, Stephen Dillane and Emily Watson, Jude Law, Mel Gibson and Johnny Depp were occasionally attached or read the script.

However, in 1996, Paltrow read a copy of the script while with Ryder and was able to convince Weinstein to buy it.

Weinstein, however, wanted Zwick out of the film and was willing to do whatever he could to make that happen, Zwick claims.

However, in 1996, Paltrow read a copy of the script while with Winona Ryder and was able to convince Harvey Weinstein (pictured) to buy it.

Weinstein, however, wanted Zwick (pictured) out of the film and was willing to do whatever he could to make that happen, Zwick claims.

Do you think you can sue me, idiot? You don’t know who you’re dealing with,’ Weinstein reportedly said. ‘I’m going to ruin you! I’ll make sure you never go back to work!

It quickly escalated: ‘Fuck you. I’m going to kill your whole family, you little son of a bitch,” Weinstein allegedly told Zwick.

Nice talking to you, Harvey. See you in court,’ says Zwick who responded.

After Zwick threatened to sue, Weinstein “He promised to include my central role as producer in all press releases and to feature me in all major interviews about the genesis of the film.”

However, Weinstein did not allow Zwick to direct Shakespeare in Love, instead opting for British filmmaker John Madden.

The film grossed $289.3 million at the box office and won seven Oscars, including Paltrow, Fiennes, writers Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, and Zwick as part of the Best Picture production team.