Julia Roberts doesn’t regret turning down any role in her career. As she told Andy Cohen Thursday night on Watch What Happens Live, “I think it’s all kind of destiny.” That said, Roberts does remember times when she and fellow ’90s icon Meg Ryan wound up taking roles initially pitched for the other.
In addition to The Last of the Mohicans, Roberts recalled that she also turned down the lead role in Nora Ephron’s 1998 classic rom-com You’ve Got Mail. Meanwhile, she said, “Meg Ryan was supposed to be in Steel Magnolias, and she was still filming When Harry Met Sally. So I got that part.”
Another unforgettable Roberts role that was initially earmarked for someone else? “Cate Blanchett was supposed to be in Closer,” Roberts revealed, “but she got pregnant—so I got that part. So I’ve lucked into some good stuff.”
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Roberts tackled a number of burning questions during Thursday’s episode, some of which came during a game of “Plead the Fifth”—in which Cohen asks three questions and the celebrity in the hot seat can decline to answer only one.
It was during this game that Roberts confirmed the “hardest drug” she’s ever tried: mushrooms. (When asked who her least favorite Real Housewife was, she asked which one had gone to prison—aka Jen Shah—and went with that; it wasn’t until she was asked to rank her most memorable roles that she declined to answer.)
On the subject of mushrooms, however, Roberts confirmed to Cohen, “It was nice. Not gonna lie. Kids, don’t try this at home!”
