- Francesca Neri, Las edades de Lulú (UK: The Ages of Lulu), Spain, 1990. At 14, she was too young for the Bigas Luna kind of erotica. At 16, she lied about her age for the erotic Jamón, jamón (US: A Tale of Ham and Passion, For their third meeting, the historical epic, Volavérunt, 1999, she was 24.
- Verónica Forqué, Kika, Spain-France, 1993. The reason Cruz is an actress stems from watching Pedro Almodóvar’s 1990 romp, ¡Átame! (Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down). “I fell in love. I’d found what I wanted to do.” Her idol congraulated her for Jamón, jamón and invited her for a test… in Almodóvar’s kitchen. She tried hard but was not old enough. He kept an eye on her and called again for Carne trémula (UK-US: Live Flesh), 1996 – for a hooker giving birth on a bus! – and a pregnant nun in Todo sobre mia madre (UK-US: All About My Mother), 1999. He later rescued her after “Hollywood didn’t know what to with me,” with Volver, 2006, Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces ), 2009, and its spin-off short, La Conconcejala antropofaga.
- Catherine Zeta Jones, The Mask of Zorro, 1997. Cruz and Shakira passed after director Robert Rodriguez and Salma Hayek (his Elena choice) were elbowed out of a much tougher rendition by Columbia… closer to his El Mariachi franchise, also played by Antonio Banderas (and Hayek). Producer Steven Spielberg found Catherine in the 1996 TV mini-series take of Titanic.
- Salma Hayek, The Wild Wild West, 1999. “The script was so misogynistic,” said Italian star Asia Argento. Apparently, Jennifer Lopez agreed and Cruze was tied to her Franco-Spanish film, Volavérunt. Like almost everyone else concerned with the enterprise – including the star and director, Will Smith and Barry Sonnenfeld – Hayek hated the movie.
- Lucy Liu, Charlie’s Angels, 2000. Tele-tycoon Aaron Spelling decided to put Aaron’s angels on the big screen (to help generate a new series on the small). His first new trio: MTV discovery Jenny McCarthy, ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and 007’s Hong Kong martial arts superstar. Then, Drew Barrymore showed him how to do it. with the third of her numerous (canny) productions. Just look at the 25 girls she shuffled to find the right angel Alex Munday: Aaliyah (“too young”), Jennifer Aniston, Asia Argento, Halle Berry, Lara Flynn Boyle, Helena Bonham Carter, Penélope Cruz, Kristin Davis, Jodie Foster, Angie Harmon (stuck on Law & Order), Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nia Long, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tiffani Thiessen, Uma Thurman, Liv Tyler, , Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon, Robin Wright, Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones… And two singers: Lauryn Hill and another Spice Girl: Victoria Beckham.
- Kate Hudson, Almost Famous, 2000. Looking for his Penny Lane groupie in his semi-autobiographical look back to his Rolling Stone reporter daze, auteur Cameron Crowe saw 47 of LA’s bright young things… Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Lara Flynn Boyle, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Claire Danes, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jenna Elfman, Jennie Garth, Maggie Gyllenhal, Alyson Hannigan, Angie Harmon, Anne Heche, Katherine Heigl, Jordan Ladd, Kimberly McCullough (busier as a TV director these days), Rose McGowan, Bridget Moynahan, Brittany Murphy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laura Prepon, Lindsay Price, Rebecca Romijn, Winona Ryder, Chloë Sevigny, Marley Shelton Tori Spelling, Mena Suvari, Uma Thurman, Liv Tyler, Lark Voorhies. Plus the English Saffron Burrows, Anna Friel, Thandiwe Newton and Rachel Weisz, Madrid’s Penélope Cruz, the French Charlotte Gainsbourg, Canada’s Natasha Henstridge, Ukrainian Milla Jovovich, Scottish Kelly Macdonald, Israeli Natalie Portman, German Franka Potente, Australian Peta Wilson and Welsh Catherine Zeta-Jones. And the winner, Canada’s Sarah Polley, simply split. (Silly girl). Crowe then chose Kate (previously booked for Anita) because “she seemed more like a free spirit.” But, but, but… Chloë was the freest spirit in all Hollywood. As she proved two years later in The Brown Bunny… in a way the others would never have dared.
- Jennifer Garner, Daredevil, 2002. “How did I become Action Girl?” asked Garner. Because 22 other girls were not punching their weight in TV’s Alias every week. They were Jessica Alba, Jolene Blalock, Neve Campbell, Penelope Cruz, Portia de Rossi, Eliza Dushku, Claire Forlani, Angie Harmon, Salma Hayek, Katie Holmes, Milla Jovovich, Nicole Kidman, Lucy Liu, Mia Maestro, Rhona Mitra, Bridget Moynahan, Natalie Portman, Kyra Sedgwick, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon. Plus the Norwegian ballet dancer Natassia Malthe, who became Typhoid in Garner’s 2004 Elektra spin-off. Garner reportedly KOed the blind hero, Ben Affleck, in one scene – he still married her three years later!
- Paz Vegas, Carmen, Spain-UK-Italy, 2003. Vicente Aranda first considered the (sometimes) fiery Penelope, until realising that the sultry star of Lucia Y El Sexo/Sex And Lucia was more perfect for the femme fatale.
- Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia, Denmark-France-Germany-Sweden, 2010. Lars von Trier Doesn’t Always Get What He Thinks He Oughta… Part Two. He tried to badger Nicole Kidman into completing his nonsensical, no-sets, US trilogy (she quit after the first film) and this depressed bride was penned for Cruz who left it alone… wisely, even though it won Dunst the 2011 Cannes Best Actress award. Von Trier said the tedious role was based on himself. “I tend to feel better represented when I’m a she, somehow.” No wonder that Cruz preferred to join Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Much more fun!
- Noomi Rapace, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shows, 2010. In the mix to be Sim – like her husband, Javier Bardem, was up for Moriarty. Except they were pregnant!
- Sofia Vergara, New Year’s Eve, 2011. Sofia picked up what Cruz threw away – director Garry Marshall’s star-packed kinda-sequel to his 2009 Valentine’s Day.
- Meryl Streep, Into The Woods, 2013.
- Halle Berry, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, 2018. Still in need of a haircut and a real beard, Wick III kicks off when his his dog is klilled (“It wasn’t just a puppy”) and the Latin title explodes: “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Not much much room then for a girl alongside Keanu Reeves. Shortlisted for Sofia were Cruz, Jennifer Beals, Marion Cotilliard, Salma Hayek, Eva Longoria, Uma Thurman, Marisa Tomei. Halle had the edge. She’d worked with James Bond… played Catwoman… and won an Oscar!
- Lady Gaga, House of Gucci, 2021 Ridley Scott’s Succession, Italian Style, had been on many shelves over the years. In one nearly done deal, Maurizio Gucci and his wife, Patrizia Reggiani, were set for Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie. Other potentials Patrizias (who ordered his murder) were Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Margot Robbie, plus two of Scott’s previous leading ladies: Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz. But Gaga had the winning improvisation when making the sign of the cross, saying: “Father, Son and House of Gucci.”
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 14