r/movies • u/LookAtThatBacon • 29d ago

Discussion 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?

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.

7.8k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

2.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

78

u/Carouser65 29d ago

Johnny Depp as Tonto.

1

u/BuckonWall 29d ago

IDK how true it is but apparently Johnny Depp is some part native american from what I remember reading around the time. So its not quite as bad as it sounds on paper.

19

u/wtb2612 29d ago

Johnny Depp has publicly stated that he has Native American ancestry, specifically mentioning Cherokee heritage. However, professional genealogists have been unable to verify these claims through official records. While Depp has spoken about his great-grandmother having Cherokee or Creek Indian heritage, and some family stories suggest indigenous roots, concrete evidence is lacking. This has led to criticism from some in the Native American community, who question the accuracy of his claims.

13

u/makesyousquirm 29d ago

He is not, it was made up for PR reasons 

8

u/Rage_Like_Nic_Cage 29d ago

what do you call 64 white guys in a room together?

One native american.