Edgar Wright Was “Relieved” An Oscar-Winning Actor Turned Down Shaun Of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ remains one of the most beloved zombie comedy movies ever made, and the cast of the film has a lot to do with its success. The horror film was Edgar Wright’s feature-length directorial debut, and he cast his close friends Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to play the roles of Shaun and Ed, hapless flatmates in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

Shaun wants to save his estranged girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), and rescue his mother, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), before retreating to the beloved pub, The Winchester, where they will wait out the apocalypse. However, the studio had other ideas for Liz and Barbara’s actors, and Edgar Wright was relieved they said no.

Kate Winslet Rejected The Role Of Liz In Shaun Of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

In the Clark Collis book, You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Was Brought to Life, Edgar Wright breaks down the casting of the film. According to Wright, the studio wanted to bring in different actresses to play Liz and Barbara. Studio Canal, which financed the movie, wanted an Oscar-winning actress to play Shaun’s girlfriend.

Studio Canal sought a big name to portray Shaun’s mother, Barbara. They wanted Helen Mirren to take on the role. She was a two-time Oscar nominee at the time, recently nominated for Gosford Park (2001). According to Wright, Mirren pᴀssed on the role, saying she would only sign on to play Ed, “the funniest part.”

When Mirren turned down the role, Studio Canal asked Wright if he would “cast up” for Liz’s role and look for a big-name actor. They set their sights on Kate Winslet. Wright said that Winslet’s agent, Hylda Queally, was “keen on it,” but they had to sell it to Winslet. Eventually, the actress pᴀssed on the opportunity.

Winslet chose to take the lead role of Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

It wasn’t that Kate Winslet didn’t want to appear in Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. The truth is that the actress had other opportunities available to her at the time. Instead of playing Liz in a supporting role in Shaun, Winslet chose to take the lead role of Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. She earned an Oscar nomination for that performance.

Edgar Wright Says Winslet Would Have “Capsized” The Movie

Edgar Wright Said It Would Have Become A ‘Kate Winslet Movie’

Liz with Diane and David looking worried in Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

What makes Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ great is Simon Pegg as Shaun and Nick Frost as Ed. While the rest of the cast is also essential, including Kate Ashfield as Liz, the film lives and dies on the shoulders of Pegg and Frost. Ashfield, as great as she is as the reluctant love interest, is a supporting cast member. Kate Winslet would have shifted the dynamic.

Edgar Wright admitted that he was relieved when Winslet turned down the movie. He used humorous terminology by saying her star power would have “capsized” the movie, likely a play on words considering Winslet’s fame following her role in тιтanic. He is right, as WInslet would have hurt the Pegg-Frost dynamic more than helped the movie:

Kate Winslet liked the script a lot, but then something else came through that she did instead. Honestly, much as I love Kate Winslet, I was relieved. She’s so famous that as soon as she comes onboard, it becomes the new Kate Winslet movie.

She’s brilliant, but it was obvious that her fame would capsize the film in maybe a not useful way. When Winslet went away, we were allowed to approach Kate Ashfield.”

Ultimately, things worked out best for everyone. Kate Winslet got another Oscar nomination for the brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. At the same time, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost became mᴀssive cult-favorites for fans thanks to their breakout performances in Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

Source: You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Was Brought to Life

Related Posts

The Western Movie Gunslinger Who May Be Even Faster Than Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name

The Western Movie Gunslinger Who May Be Even Faster Than Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name

The Trinity movies feature a character who could rival Clint Eastwood’s The Man With No Name for the тιтle of the fastest gun in the West. Sergio…

Sovereign Review: I Was Speechless After Nick Offerman & Jacob Tremblay’s Disquieting True Story Crime Thriller

Sovereign Review: I Was Speechless After Nick Offerman & Jacob Tremblay’s Disquieting True Story Crime Thriller

When a movie dramatizes a real tragedy, there needs to be care and tact put into how it presents itself. From dramas to thrillers based on true…

Disney’s Remake Of A 3 Million Phenomenon Comes Out 1 Year From Now

Disney’s Remake Of A $643 Million Phenomenon Comes Out 1 Year From Now

Disney live-action remakes tend to be made years, if not decades, after the original’s release. From Snow White‘s live-action remake, which was released 88 years after the…

How Dean Cain Became The Least Popular Superman

How Dean Cain Became The Least Popular Superman

Dean Cain has returned to the spotlight again after the release of James Gunn’s Superman, and the online reaction makes it clear just how unpopular he’s become….

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Has Already Fixed These 9 Mistakes From 2015’s Fantastic Four Before It’s Even Released

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Has Already Fixed These 9 Mistakes From 2015’s Fantastic Four Before It’s Even Released

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has not even been released yet, but it’s already fixed these nine big issues with 2015’s Fantastic Four. The latter counts as…

Kurt Russell’s Sci-Fi Bomb Was Actually A Stealth Remake Of An Era-Defining Western

Kurt Russell’s Sci-Fi Bomb Was Actually A Stealth Remake Of An Era-Defining Western

Kurt Russell’s cult favorite Soldier was a bomb back in 1998, and also acted as a remake of a beloved Western. There aren’t that many Kurt Russell…