Michelle Pfeiffer is one of the most popular female stars of all time with movies like Scarface, The Witches of Eastwick, and Dangerous Liaisons. She is also popular for her role as Janet van Dyne in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But there are also a handful of significant projects that the actress turned down in her career which could have added some more blockbusters to her career.
While Pretty Woman, Thelma & Louise, and Basic Instinct are some of the successful movies turned down by the 65-year-old actress, surprisingly, she also turned down a Martin Scorsese film. The movie further went to another prominent female of that era Sharon Stone and went on to be the most memorable performance in her filmography.
How did Michelle Pfeiffer lose Casino to Sharon Stone?
Casino released in 1995 is a crime film starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci in the lead with the great Martin Scorsese sitting in the director’s chair. Initially, Stone’s role was to be done by Michelle Pfeiffer. But after the latter turned down the project, Sharon Stone gave her career-best performance as Ginger McKenna.
Speaking to Today, the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania actress revealed a list of iconic movies that would have looked completely different today with her in the lead. Michelle Pfeiffer made it clear to the host Hoda Kotb that she didn’t turn down the roles intentionally. It was due to some other commitments.
“But the thing is, there are so many reasons that go into turning something down, and it’s not necessarily because you don’t want to do it. There’s a conflict, you’re committed to something else. Typically, it was something like that.”
It is also notable that Michelle Pfeiffer also became a mother to two children with David E. Kelly which also resulted in a challenge to her career.
“I just got pickier and pickier. It was hard to leave them, especially when they got to be school age. Before that, I could just take them with me anywhere I went. But then there was breaking up the family unit. My husband has a job that he can’t just up and go. So it was always a juggling act. But, oddly enough, empty nester, I am now working a lot.”
What forced Michelle Pfeiffer to turn down Basic Instinct?
From some other statements, it can be made clear that Michelle Pfeiffer’s commitment to her children and family was not the sole reason she turned down Basic Instinct. The 1992 erotic thriller became a smasher hit for Sharon Stone who is still remembered for her performance as Catherine Tramell.
Also Read: Sharon Stone Claims ‘Basic Instinct’ Destroyed Her Life, Tore Family Apart After $353M Success
In an interview, the Tequilla Sunrise actress admitted that she refused to be a part of the Michael Douglas film due to the explicit scenes. She didn’t hesitate to call herself prudish and admitted that she was too uncomfortable to take that role.
“I just couldn’t do that one, because of the s*xual parts, the nudity. My father was still alive. I’m kind of prudish.”
Besides her MCU career, Michelle Pfeiffer is slated to perform in some other upcoming projects namely Turn of Mind and Wild Four O’Clocks. She was also seen in the 2022 Showtime series The First Lady.
Casino and Basic Instinct can be streamed on Paramount+.
Source: Today
