'Harriet' Screenwriter Says a Studio Head Wanted Julia Roberts to Play Harriet Tubman

Gregory Allen Howard, the screenwriter of the new biopic Harriet, is opening up about what took so long for a movie about Harriet Tubman to be made.

Cynthia Erivo stars as Harriet in the new movie and she’s getting Oscar buzz for her fantastic performance, but when the movie was originally being pitched many years ago, a studio head suggested a white actress should play the role.

“Harriet, which was set up at Disney 26 years ago, was my first assignment. When I got in the business, I wanted to tell these historical stories by turning them into entertainment. I didn’t want to give history lessons. I wanted to turn Harriet Tubman‘s life, which I’d studied in college, into an action-adventure movie,” Gregory said in a Q&A.

“The climate in Hollywood, however, was very different back then. I was told how one studio head said in a meeting, ‘This script is fantastic. Let’s get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman.’ When someone pointed out that Roberts couldn’t be Harriet, the executive responded, ‘It was so long ago. No one is going to know the difference,’” Gregory added.

He continued, “Two films really changed the climate in Hollywood to allow Harriet to be made. When 12 Years a Slave became a hit and did a couple hundred million dollars worldwide, I told my agent, ‘You can’t say this kind of story won’t make money now.’ Then Black Panther really blew the doors open.”

Harriet has so far made $32 million at the box office.

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