Goldie Hawn had a role in Chicago and was set to star as Roxie Hart, but Harvey Weinstein stepped in and said that the actress was too old to play the part.
During an interview with Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen, Hawn discussed a lot of things going on in her life and how she is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
In a segment that was filmed after the show, Andy passed on a question from a fan that revolved around a production of Chicago that Goldie had been working on with Madonna.
What happened to Goldie Hawn-Madonna Chicago movie?
As Goldie tells it, Harvey Weinstein was brought on as one of the producers for the film adaptation of Chicago. She said that she also recruited director Nicholas Hytner and that Weinstein asked the late Wendy Wasserstein to write the screenplay.
When Hawn was finally shown a script — sometime later — she said that her part had been written for a 23-year-old. It led to a disagreement with Weinstein, as he stated that there was no way that she could pull off the role.
In the interview she said that she told him, “Um yeah I can. There’s digital. You can do my face to make me look 12 if you want to. And I’m still dancing and singing so you aren’t getting off that way Harvey, so how else are you going to do it?”
She goes on to share a lot more about the story in the video shared below, but it’s well known that Goldie Hawn was not involved in the version of Chicago that eventually made it to the big screen.
Goldie Hawn got paid to be in Chicago
Even though the film ended up going in another direction — with Rob Marshall directing Renee Zellweger as Roxie Hart — Hawn still got paid for being in the movie.
“He ended up paying me, which was amazing,” she explained. “I was able to call Harvey and say, ‘Harvey, you want to know something. I really, really didn’t like you. But this isn’t about the money, but the fact you were honorable for me in this situation. I am thankful for that and I like you better’.”
Chicago — led by Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, and Catherine Zeta-Jones — won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture of the Year. The film has become a classic since it debuted in 2002 and Hawn noted how good she felt about the final product — even though she wasn’t in it.