Shaun of the Deadremains one of themost beloved zombie comedy moviesever made, and the cast of the film has a lot to do with its success. The horror film wasEdgar Wright’s feature-lengthdirectorial debut,and he cast his close friendsSimon Pegg and Nick Frost to play the roles of Shaun and Ed,hapless flatmates in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
Shaun wants to save his estranged girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield),and rescue his mother, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), beforeretreating to the beloved pub, The Winchester,where they will wait out the apocalypse. However, the studio had other ideas for Liz and Barbara’s actors, and Edgar Wright was relieved they said no.
Kate Winslet Rejected The Role Of Liz In Shaun Of The Dead
In the Clark Collis book,You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life, Edgar Wright breaks down the casting of the film. According to Wright, thestudio wanted to bring in different actresses to play Liz and Barbara.Studio Canal, which financed the movie, wanted an Oscar-winning actress to play Shaun’s girlfriend.
Studio Canal sought a big name to portray Shaun’s mother, Barbara. They wanted Helen Mirren to take on the role. She was a two-time Oscar nominee at the time,recently nominated forGosford Park(2001). According to Wright, Mirren passed on the role, saying she would only sign on to play Ed, “the funniest part.”
When Mirren turned down the role, Studio Canal asked Wright if he would “cast up” for Liz’s role and look for a big-name actor.They set their sights on Kate Winslet.Wright said that Winslet’s agent, Hylda Queally, was “keen on it,” but they had to sell it to Winslet. Eventually, the actress passed on the opportunity.
Winslet chose to take the lead role of Clementine inEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
It wasn’t that Kate Winslet didn’t want to appear inShaun of the Dead.The truth is that the actress had other opportunities available to her at the time. Instead of playing Liz in a supporting role inShaun,Winslet chose to take the lead role ofClementine inEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.She earned an Oscar nomination for that performance.
Edgar Wright Says Winslet Would Have “Capsized” The Movie
Edgar Wright Said It Would Have Become A ‘Kate Winslet Movie’
What makesShaun of the Deadgreat is Simon Pegg as Shaun and Nick Frost as Ed. While the rest of the cast is also essential, including Kate Ashfield as Liz, the film lives and dies on the shoulders of Pegg and Frost. Ashfield, as great as she is as the reluctant love interest, is a supporting cast member. Kate Winslet would have shifted the dynamic.
Edgar Wright admitted that he was relievedwhen Winslet turned down the movie. He used humorous terminology by saying her star power would have “capsized” the movie, likely a play on words consideringWinslet’s fame following her role inTitanic.He is right, as WInslet would have hurt the Pegg-Frost dynamic more than helped the movie:
“Kate Winslet liked the script a lot, but then something else came through that she did instead. Honestly, much as I love Kate Winslet, I was relieved. She’s so famous that as soon as she comes onboard, it becomes the new Kate Winslet movie.
She’s brilliant, but it was obvious that her fame would capsize the film in maybe a not useful way. When Winslet went away, we were allowed to approach Kate Ashfield.”
Ultimately, things worked out best for everyone. Kate Winslet got another Oscar nomination for the brilliantEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. At the same time, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost became massive cult-favorites for fans thanks to their breakout performances inShaun of the Dead.
Source:You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life
