Julia Roberts reveals declining Meg Ryan's 'You've Got Mail' role

Julia Roberts, renowned for her roles in romantic comedies, disclosed on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" that she turned down Nora Ephron's 1998 classic "You've Got Mail", despite being an iconic figure in the genre and an Oscar winner.

Nora Ephron's film, "You've Got Mail", is notably remembered for pairing Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as business rivals unknowingly falling in love online. The romantic comedy marked the third collaboration between Hanks and Ryan after "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990) and "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993), the latter also directed by Ephron. Julia Roberts, had she accepted the role, could have expanded her successful 1990s romantic comedy streak, which already included hits like "Pretty Woman" (1990), "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997), and "Notting Hill" (1999).

When a fan inquired about roles she had declined in her career, Julia Roberts emphasised that she harbors no regrets regarding her choices. She expressed the belief that any movie she passed on "maybe wouldn't have been as great and wonderful" with her in it. Amongst the roles she turned down were "You've Got Mail" and Michael Mann's 1992 drama "The Last of the Mohicans", which starred Daniel Day-Lewis.

"I can't think of any else, but also there's a thing that you don't get like Meg Ryan was supposed to be in 'Steel Magnolias', and she was still filming 'When Harry Met Sally', so I got that part," Roberts mentioned, highlighting her spiritual connection coming full circle with Ryan.

"Steel Magnolias" marked an early breakthrough just a year before Julia Roberts' stardom soared with 1990's "Pretty Woman". Both films earned Academy Award nominations for her.

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During that appearance on "Watch What Happens Live", Roberts was asked if there's a film from her career that she believes deserves a sequel. "I think, maybe, 'My Best Friend's Wedding', because there's so many people in it, and to see what they're doing and how Kimmy and Michael's marriage is going," responded Roberts.

In the previous year, Julia Roberts made a return to the romantic comedy genre, co-starring with George Clooney in "Ticket to Paradise". This marked her first time in the lead role of a rom-com since 2001's "America's Sweethearts". Despite having smaller roles in ensemble rom-coms like "Valentine's Day" and "Mother's Day", as well as appearances in romantic dramas such as "Eat Pray Love" and romance crime films like "Duplicity", Roberts had been away from the genre due to a perceived lack of compelling scripts.

When questioned about staying away from romantic comedies for two decades because of a perceived lack of good scripts, Julia Roberts responded with a simple "Yeah."

Julia Roberts' latest appearance in the Netflix apocalypse thriller "Leave the World Behind" is available for streaming now.