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“Knocked Up” became a career-defining hit for Seth Rogen, which helped set off a real hot streak for him as an actor and writer in Hollywood. It also remains one of the most beloved movies that director Judd Apatow ever made. Oscar winner Anne Hathaway was supposed to be part of it right alongside Rogen. So, why wasn’t she?
Rogen recently spoke with his co-star Olivia Wilde about “The Invite,” her directorial comeback after “Don’t Worry Darling,” on an episode of “The A24 Podcast.” During the conversation, they discussed the fact that Wilde had auditioned for the female lead in “Knocked Up,” a role that ultimately went to Katherine Heigl. But that role was originally intended for Hathaway.
“It was Anne Hathaway who quit the movie,” Rogen said. For those who may need a refresher, the movie centers on a slacker (Rogen) and a career-driven woman (Heigl) who accidentally conceive a child after a one-night stand. As for why Hathaway walked away from the movie? “Because of the crowning right? Is that real?” Wilde asked, referring to a climactic scene in which Heigl’s character gives birth.
Rogen developed his “Knocked Up” character by reading with every woman who auditioned. That evidently included Hathaway before she walked away over the graphic nature of the scene. Addressing Wilde’s question, Rogen confirmed that the scene in question was a key reason for Hathaway’s departure from the comedy, which went on to become a big hit. He explained:
“Yeah, I mean … it could have been a hundred million things. That was what I remember being told. Crowning is a tough one. She didn’t want the crowning of the baby to be visually representative. Even though it wasn’t going to be hers.”
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Anne Hathaway didn’t do Knocked Up over creative differences
Seth Rogen as Ben and Katherine Heigl as Allison sitting at the breakfast table in Knocked Up – Universal Pictures
“Daniel Day-Lewis wouldn’t do that. Like, that’s a level of acting,” Seth Rogen added, using Daniel Day-Lewis and his notorious method acting as a joking example of what they were asking Anne Hathaway to do. “It’s obviously not real. She felt that it was not her brand. Part of me also … we had started rehearsing the movie … maybe she was just like, ‘I don’t know if this is for me.’ I don’t know. I will take what she said at face value, which was the crowning.”
Rogen also added that Katherine Heigl “was great.” That lines up with how things shook out. “Knocked Up” was received very well by critics, with audiences turning it into a huge hit at the box office in 2007. It made $220 million worldwide against a $25 million budget, becoming a huge money-maker for Universal Pictures.
In a 2007 interview with the New York Times, Apatow addressed the situation, saying, “Hathaway dropped out of the film because she didn’t want to allow us to use real footage of a woman giving birth to create the illusion that she is giving birth.”
Hathaway was coming off a hot streak that included “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Devil Wears Prada.” She would instead go on to star in “Becoming Jane” and “Get Smart,” which was largely disliked by critics but had a fan in Roger Ebert. As far as Rogen is concerned, Hathaway’s instincts should probably be trusted, regardless of how things worked out.
“She had a sense, and she knew it was not for her. She has been right about a lot more things than I have over the years. So I think she was probably right,” Rogen concluded.
You can grab “Knocked Up” on Blu-ray from Amazon.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
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