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.

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’

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