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Geena Davis has opened up about the surprising reason she did not land the female lead role in the cult comedy Fletch, revealing she was told she was not considered “attractive” enough for the part.
Original Audition
The 70-year-old actress appeared on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast and reflected on her experience making the 1985 Chevy Chase film. Davis played Larry, a young woman who becomes involved in investigative reporter Irwin ‘Fletch’ Fletcher’s latest case.
Shepard, who described Fletch as one of his favorite comedies, asked Davis about working with Chase and her memories of the film.
Davis explained that her role could have been very different, as she originally auditioned for the main female character, Gail Stanwyk.
She said, “Well, you know, I had such a small part. I originally auditioned for the lead female character.”
The Oscar-winning actress then recalled the feedback she received from the production team.
“Not Attractive Enough”
Davis said, “I’m pretty sure they said, ‘Well, you’re not attractive enough to play that part, but we think you’re so funny, we want you in the movie.'”
The role of Gail eventually went to Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, who played the wife of millionaire Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson), the man who attempts to convince Fletch to help him with an elaborate murder plot.
Shepard expressed disbelief at the comment, noting that such remarks reflected the attitudes of Hollywood in the 1980s.
He said, “This was ‘85 where they would tell you, you’re not attractive.”
Davis revealed that the filmmakers created a new version of the morgue chief character, Larry, specifically for her.
She recalled, “They said, ‘Oh there’s this part of this morgue chief, whose name is Larry, but we’ll change it to a female for you.'”
However, Davis wanted to keep the character’s original name.
She recalled, “And I said, ‘But I still want to be Larry.'”
Despite Chevy Chase’s reputation for being difficult, Davis said her experience working with him was positive and that he was not “grouchy” during production.
Relationship with Appearance
The actress has previously spoken about her complicated relationship with her appearance and the way she viewed herself while working in Hollywood. Before becoming an actor, Davis worked as a model, but she said the experience did not make her feel more confident about her looks.
She told The Times newspaper in 2022, “I just thought I had figured out some magical way of holding my body so they would think I was pretty.”
Davis, whose career later included films such as Thelma and Louise and A League of Their Own, said accepting her appearance has become easier with age.
She explained, “It’s got much better over the years. I feel like I’ve got more attractive with every decade.”
Alexandria Wyckoff originally posted Geena Davis Was Told She Wasn’t ‘Attractive’ Enough for Female Lead in Fletch on TheMix.net it is syndicated here with permission.
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