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Goldie Hawn reveals how planned Chicago movie with Madonna fell apart with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein


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I can't imagine how awesome "Chicago" would have been with Goldie Hawn and Madonna, but, I'm glad they didn't do it.

Watch What Happens Live: Goldie Hawn reveals how planned Chicago movie with Madonna fell apart with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein

Goldie Hawn explained how her plans to work with Madonna on a movie version of Chicago fell apart while working with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.

The 74-year-old actress was asked Sunday by a Watch What Happens Live viewer during the after show about Madonna, 61, telling fans in the mid-1990s they were working together on a film version of the 1975 stage musical of the same name.

Show host Andy Cohen, 51, asked Goldie to share what it was like working with Madonna and why it didn't work out.

Goldie who joined the show from home amid the coronavirus pandemic said it was a 'long story' and then gave a 'short-ish' answer.

'Madonna and I were gonna do it and I was working with Harvey Weinstein on it because he was producing,' Goldie explained.

She brought on English director Nicholas Hytner, 64, to direct and Weinstein, 68, put the late writer Wendy Wasserstein, who died in 2006 at age 55, to write it, Goldie said.

'I thought that was great and then I got the script a while later and it was for a 23-year-old,' Goldie said.

She called Weinstein to confront him and Goldie said the producer told her that she couldn't play 23 and Goldie said she protested pointing out they could use 'digital' techniques to make her look age 12 if they wanted.

Goldie said she told Weinstein that he was being 'under handed' and should just come out and say he wanted someone else for the role of Roxie Hart.

The Oscar-winning actress said she had a 'play or pay' clause in her contract and during a meeting told Weinstein that his script for the movie was horrible and advised him to rewrite it.

'He ended up paying me, which was amazing. And 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.'' And that was that,' Goldie said.

Neither Goldie nor Madonna participated in Chicago that Weinstein's film studio Miramax distributed in 2002 featuring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere.

Chicago won six Academy Awards in 2003 including Best Picture, making it the first musical to win Best Picture since Oliver! in 1968.

Goldie said that Chicago was a 'fantastic movie' and said she congratulated Weinstein later for creating a 'great movie' and he said, 'Goldie, you've got a lot of class'.

She described their relationship as a 'tough one' in which she 'didn't back down' in her dealings with him.

'Nope, you're not going to play that game,' she said of Weinstein.

Weinstein was fired from Miramax in October 2017 and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after more than 80 women made allegations of sexual abuse against him sparking the #MeToo social media campaign.

He was found guilty in February on rape charges in New York City and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Goldie during the regular show admitted to Andy that her whole family wants to do a movie together including her husband Kurt Russell, daughter Kate Hudson, and sons Wyatt Russell and Oliver Hudson, who also made a remote appearance on the show.

 

 

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if she did the film, her career at the time would have been quite different. she was already on board to film The Next Best Thing when Chicago originally got a green light (TO START PRODUCTION) with Goldie and Madonna to star. if it went as planned, she would have been filming Chicago probably during the conception of the Music album. would she have stuck with Guy Ritchie at the time or better yet, got pregnant?

it sounded like the film was a dud the way it was originally written with Goldie and Madonna in mind. it probably was for the best as they turned it into more of a black musical comedy with hip hop influences.

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43 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

if she did the film, her career at the time would have been quite different. she was already on board to film The Next Best Thing when Chicago originally got a green light with Goldie and Madonna to star. if it went as planned, she would have been filming Chicago probably during the conception of the Music album. would she have stuck with Guy Ritchie at the time or better yet, got pregnant?

Not true. She signed on for Chicago in June 1997. Before that, in early 1997 she signed on to do a biopic on Tina Modotti. Plans for that were dropped in August 1997. And before the Chicago confirmation, in May it was rumored she would star in Wes Craven's "Fiddlefest," later re-named to "50 Violins," before landing to it's final title "Music of the Heart."

In Jan 1998, she signed on for "Red Door" and "Recycle Hazel." Rumors began circulating in February of involvement in "Imbalance" and an Anita O'Day biopic. It wasn't until May of 1998 that she signed on to do "The Next Best Thing."

 

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1 hour ago, deathproof said:

Not true. She signed on for Chicago in June 1997. Before that, in early 1997 she signed on to do a biopic on Tina Modotti. Plans for that were dropped in August 1997. And before the Chicago confirmation, in May it was rumored she would star in Wes Craven's "Fiddlefest," later re-named to "50 Violins," before landing to it's final title "Music of the Heart."

In Jan 1998, she signed on for "Red Door" and "Recycle Hazel." Rumors began circulating in February of involvement in "Imbalance" and an Anita O'Day biopic. It wasn't until May of 1998 that she signed on to do "The Next Best Thing."

 

according to the linked article by Liz Smith, the film (Chicago) had the green light (to start production) by this published article in November '98.  keep in mind, Madonna and Goldie were signed on for a long time before the film had a final script. Goldie even said that in the interview above with Andy Cohen. https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/All-Aboard-for-Chicago-Film-Goldie-Hawn-2981442.php

Madonna was signed on for "Red Door" and looking to star in "Recycle Hazel" in early '98.  eventually, she started working on "50 Violins" that spring.  due to differences with Wes Craven, the director, she dropped out by July of '98.  like you mentioned, she had signed on for Next Best Thing in '98.  production started as early as Feb. 99. Madonna was filming by April and May of '99 (if you go by Wiki).

nothing i stated earlier was wrong.  Chicago was on and off again for several years before it finally got the green light in late '98.  i never said she and Goldie werent signed on before that. i said the film finally got a green light (to start production) by november 98.  of course, there are a lot of details before, in between and after these times that changed the whole course of the film, including who starred in it.:)

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3 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

according to the linked article by Liz Smith, the film (Chicago) had the green light by this published article in November '98.  keep in mind, Madonna and Goldie were signed on for a long time before the film had a final script. Goldie even said that in the interview above with Andy Cohen. https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/All-Aboard-for-Chicago-Film-Goldie-Hawn-2981442.php

Madonna was signed on for "Red Door" and looking to star in "Recycle Hazel" in early '98.  eventually, she started working on "50 Violins" that spring.  due to differences with Wes Craven, the director, she dropped out by July of '98.  like you mentioned, she had signed on for Next Best Thing in '98.  production started as early as Feb. 99. Madonna was filming by April and May of '99 (if you go by Wiki).

Madonna and Goldie signed on for Chicago in June 1997 http://www.mtv.com/news/1431636/madonna-plans-trip-to-chicago/

Next Best Thing wasns't confirmed till May 1998. 

She was never confirmed to do TNBT before Chicago. She dropped out of Chicago in Dec 1998, and TNBT wasn't suppose to start production till March, but was pushed back to April, which is why the 1999 ROL tour was cancelled.

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13 minutes ago, deathproof said:

Madonna and Goldie signed on for Chicago in June 1997 http://www.mtv.com/news/1431636/madonna-plans-trip-to-chicago/

Next Best Thing wasns't confirmed till May 1998. 

She was never confirmed to do TNBT before Chicago. She dropped out of Chicago in Dec 1998, and TNBT wasn't suppose to start production till March, but was pushed back to April, which is why the 1999 ROL tour was cancelled.

i never said she was confirmed for TNBT before Chicago. read again.  i even stated she and Goldie were signed on to Chicago for a few years before it got a final script. as Goldie mentioned by the time they got the final script written in late '98, she realized her part was written for someone younger and she eventually dropped out as Madonna did.  months later, in '99, Madonna was filming TNBT. 

EDIT to add: when i mean "green light" I meant when it got the "go" to start production.  i agree madonna and Goldie were signed on as far back as '97.

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2 hours ago, RUADJAI said:

So I assume Madonna would have been Velma? As much as I would have loved to see Madonna do this, I think the Movie would have suffered because of it. And teenage me would have cried if she did TWO musicals back to back after Something to Remember and no tours since 1993. :crying:

This photoshoot was kind of a preview for the movie at the time:

6a00d8341c2ca253ef01b8d06a8973970c-800wi

I remember the news was everywhere back then, I was very excited about it. And disappointed when the project was shelved, although I really like the final movie.

I am glad that now we know what happened!

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1 hour ago, Gilbert said:

i never said she was confirmed for TNBT before Chicago. read again.  i even stated she and Goldie were signed on to Chicago for a few years before it got a final script. as Goldie mentioned by the time they got the final script written in late '98, she realized her part was written for someone younger and she eventually dropped out as Madonna did.  months later, in '99, Madonna was filming TNBT. 

Your initial post stated otherwise

Quote

she was already on board to film The Next Best Thing when Chicago originally got a green light with Goldie and Madonna to star.

 

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15 minutes ago, deathproof said:

Your initial post stated otherwise

 

please reread. your confusing what i stated. i bolded the parts.  i know madonna had signed on to do Chicago since 97. i even stated that. i only meant by 'green light' that the film got the "go" to start production which was late '98. by then, Madonna had signed on to do TNBT. you even said yourself she signed on back in early '98. we both are saying the same thing. it was only months after in spring of '99 Madonna started work on TNBT. 

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8 hours ago, steady75 said:

If she did this film you wouldn’t have got Ray Of Light so it’s probably best we just sit here and eat our cereal. 

possibly if they went with an earlier script, but ROL was already released by the time they got an approved script and got the 'go' to start the film.

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On 5/27/2020 at 7:21 AM, Gilbert said:

please reread. your confusing what i stated. i bolded the parts.  i know madonna had signed on to do Chicago since 97. i even stated that. i only meant by 'green light' that the film got the "go" to start production which was late '98. by then, Madonna had signed on to do TNBT. you even said yourself she signed on back in early '98. we both are saying the same thing. it was only months after in spring of '99 Madonna started work on TNBT. 

Madonna was also signed to do and went into pre-production on 50 Violins with Wes Craven (Meryl Streep took the part) During the time of Power of Goodbye (Aug 98) She and Wes had a falling out and she left. However they were lliterally about to film when she left the project.

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11 hours ago, me1981 said:

Madonna was also signed to do and went into pre-production on 50 Violins with Wes Craven (Meryl Streep took the part) During the time of Power of Goodbye (Aug 98) She and Wes had a falling out and she left. However they were lliterally about to film when she left the project.

yes, i mentioned that in an above response.  she dropped out in July '98 after spending 3 months preparing for it in the spring.

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