Reese Witherspoon Almost Starred in This Psychological Thriller & I'm Gobsmacked

When you think of Reese Witherspoon’s filmography, titles like Legally Blonde, Cruel Intentions, Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere probably come to mind. She’s played a sorority icon, a naive high schooler and a deeply layered suburban mom. They are dramas, rom-coms and more but there’s one genre that doesn't immediately come to mind and that's a psychological thriller.

Turns out, Reese was actually eyeing that kind of role, vying for the lead in Gone Girl but the film’s director had other plans.

During a recent episode of Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ Las Culturistas podcast, the 49-year-old actress revealed that she had optioned the rights to Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel Gone Girl with the intention of playing the now-iconic role of Amy Dunne. Unfortunately, director David Fincher didn’t see her in the part.

"David sat me down, and this is not on David, but David’s like, ‘You’re totally wrong for this part and I’m not putting you in it,'" she shared.

Despite having the full support of author Gillian Flynn, who, according to Reese, “kept telling me, ‘I’d really like you to do it,’” the final casting decision wasn’t hers to make. Fincher stood firm, telling her, “You’re wrong.”

Ultimately, the role went to Rosamund Pike, who starred opposite Ben Affleck, with supporting performances by Carrie Coon, Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris. The 2014 film was a hit both critically and commercially, earning several nominations including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

For The Morning Show star, the experience was humbling. "That was, first of all, an ego check for me," she admitted. "It was like, ‘No, you’re not right for everything.’ And he was right. He was totally right."

Set in small-town Missouri, Gone Girl follows the mysterious disappearance of Amy Dunne and the unraveling of her seemingly perfect marriage to Nick Dunne. As public suspicion turns to Nick, the story twists into a dark, gripping exploration of love, deceit and revenge.

It’s now hard to imagine anyone else but Pike in the chilling role but it’s still fascinating to imagine the alternate universe where Reese was that girl.

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