Julianne Moore Says She Was Fired from 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?'

Julianne Moore reveals that she didn’t walk away from the lead role in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, she says she was fired.

The Oscar-winning actress was supposed to play the role of Lee Israel, a part that went to Melissa McCarthy and earned her an Oscar nomination this year.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live on Thursday (March 7), a caller asked Julianne why she left the film and if she has seen it.

“I didn’t leave that movie, I was fired,” Julianne said, adding that director Nicole Holofcener fired her. Nicole, who wrote the screenplay, left the project after the movie fell apart back in 2015. It was later retooled with Marielle Heller as the director.

“I think she didn’t like what I was doing. We just been rehearsing and doing pre-production and stuff and her idea of where the character was was different than where my idea of where the character was, so she fired me,” Julianne said.

She added that she hasn’t yet seen the movie “because it’s still kind of painful. I love Melissa McCarthy. I worship her. I think she’s fantastic, so I’m sure she’s great.”

“It’s pretty bad,” Julianne added. “The only other time I was fired was when I was working at a yogurt stand when I was 15, so it felt bad.”