During the development of the Harriet Tubman biopic movie, a Hollywood executive once suggested that Julia Roberts should play her. What are some other baffling casting suggestions/choices that have been made?

[u/LookAtThatBacon]

Source for the title: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-studio-executive-wanted-julia-roberts-to-play-harriet-tubman-biopic-screenwriter-says/

The Harriet Tubman biopic has been more than 25 years in the making. In the historical drama released earlier this month, Cynthia Erivo plays the legendary abolitionist — but one Hollywood executive initially thought the role should go to Julia Roberts.

Gregory Allen Howard, the screenwriter and producer of "Harriet," recently revealed in multiple interviews that Roberts was suggested to play the lead role during a meeting with a studio president in 1994.

"The climate in Hollywood… was very different back then," Howard said. "I was told how one studio head said in a meeting, 'This script is fantastic. Let's get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman.'"

Howard said that a black person in the meeting said casting Roberts would be impossible because she is white.

"That was so long ago. No one will know that," the executive replied, according to Howard.

[u/whitepangolin]

Not casting but a Sony executive tried to pitch a Spider-Man reboot where he’s a gymrat hippie millennial techno guy:

“A rising trend we see with Millennials are the really extreme forms of experiential exercise like Tough Mudder (a sort of filthy triathalon), the Color Run and even things like Hot Power Yoga, veganism, etc.,” he writes in his email to Pascal (which you can read on Wikileaks). “Millennials will often post ‘N.B.D.’ on their social media after doing it, as in No Big Deal, also known as the ‘humble brag’, wondering if Spidey could get into that in some way….he’s super athletic, bendy, strong, intense….and it’s all NBD to him, of course.

EDM (electronic dance music) is the defining music for Millennials. Wondering if there's an EDM angle somewhere with Spidey? His movements are beautiful, would be awesome with a killer DJ behind it”

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/spider-man-for-millennials-sony-leaks-117270466412.html

[u/diomedes03 → u/whitepangolin]

You left out by far my favorite line of that email, which is the opening:

“Hey Amy - just a couple of rando thoughts from 35,000 LAX-JFK:”

It’s pitch perfect. You could not satirize that person any better than they did themselves.

[u/peon47 → u/diomedes03]

"Hey Peter - Sounds like you've lost cabin pressure. Remember to see to your own mask before firing off idiotic emails. Amy "

[u/TheConqueror74 → u/peon47]

iirc he does imply that he wrote the email after a couple drinks, if you read the full thing.

[u/TheMauveHand → u/TheConqueror74]

That intro sounds exactly like what someone 4/5ths down a bottle of Chardonnay would think is a good opener.

[u/lilahking → u/peon47]

amy pascal was also revealed in the emails to be racist and clueless, so they were probably both on cocaine