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Roles turned down by Shelley Winters:
Pregnancy caused her to bow out of the film.
Actor who got the part: June Allyson
Turned down the role of "Alma" because she had a newborn daughter.
Actor who got the part: Donna Reed
Under contract to Universal, Winters was assigned the female lead but she hated the project so much she purposely gained weight which caused Universal to replace her.
Actor who got the part: Rhonda Fleming
In a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing, producer Jerry Wald offered Winters the role of Eula Varner at the same time that director Martin Ritt had decided to cast Lee Remick. Executives at Fox sided with Ritt.
Actor who got the part: Lee Remick
When Winters took the role of Maxine Faulk in the Broadway version (replacing Bette Davis), a clause in her contract stated that she would do the part on screen. According to Winters' autobiography, producer Ray Stark forgot about this clause and cast Ava Gardner.
Actor who got the part: Ava Gardner
Because of a commitment to appear in a TV production, Winters turned down the lead role. She then persuaded director Bryan Forbes to cast her friend Kim Stanley, who did the movie and received an Oscar nomination.
Actor who got the part: Kim Stanley
Did you know that Shelley Winters was not the only choice for these movies? (click to learn more)
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Shelley Winters
