Julianne Moore says she was fired from 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' because original director 'didn't like what she was doing'
Moore says she had started rehearsals when previous director Nicole Holofcener sacked her
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Your support makes all the difference.Julianne Moore has claimed she was “fired” by the original director of Can You Every Forgive Me? because the director in question did not like her work.
The actor spoke about the experience on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, while answering a viewer’s question.
Moore was originally supposed to play the main character in the movie, literary forger Lee Israel, while co-writer Nicole Holofcener was meant to direct the film.
In the end, Israel’s role went to Melissa McCarthy and filmmaker Marielle Heller took over the project.
Moore detailed her account of what happened when the initial movie fell apart on Cohen’s set after a viewer asked her why she had decided to “leave” the movie.
“I didn’t leave that movie. I was fired,” Moore said.
Pressed by Cohen, she added: “Yeah, yeah. Nicole fired me. I think she didn’t like what I was doing.”
Moore said the split happened in pre-production, after she had started rehearsing.
“I think that [Holofcener’s] idea of what the character was was different than what my idea of the character was, and so she fired me,” Moore said.
She added that she hasn’t watched the film yet because “it’s still kind of painful” but that she “loves” and “worships” McCarthy and is certain she’s “great”.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? eventually earned McCarthy an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Richard E Grant was nominated in the Best Supported Actor category, and Holofcener was one of two people nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, along with Jeff Whitty.
The Independent has contacted Holofcener’s production company for comment.
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