Edward Norton Reportedly Kept Janeane Garofalo Out Of Fight Club
When movie fans look back at the 1990s, one of the biggest and most influential movies of the decade is unquestionably David Fincher's "Fight Club." Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the film follows a disillusioned office worker (Edward Norton) and his unhinged new friend (Brad Pitt) as they start a combat-based cult that eventually turns into a terrorist organization.
While the movie is known for its insane twist and how accurately it skewered the consumerism and apathy of Generation X, "Fight Club" also helped to make icons out of its stars and its director. The film was a culmination of the angst of the time and the coming-of-age of an entire lost generation, and for that reason, it gained an instant, overnight cult following (via The New Yorker).
However, to hear Janeane Garofalo tell it, she was this close to being a part of the movie's ongoing influence. The actor says she missed out on the role of Marla Singer due to Norton's opinions on her acting range.
Garofalo says Norton didn't think she had the chops for it
Janeane Garofalo sat down with Yahoo! to discuss her film "Come As You Are," but the actor also let slip that she believes Edward Norton cost her the prize role of Marla Singer in "Fight Club" along the way (via CNN). The actor claims that Norton "didn't think she had the chops for it", and so torpedoed her chances at nabbing the part.
The comedian and actor went on to explain that she believes Norton wanted his girlfriend at the time, Courtney Love, for the part but that Brad Pitt wouldn't go for it. "So, they agreed on Helena Bonham Carter, who was probably much better than I would have been," Garofalo concluded.
Those who are a bit younger might not realize how big Garofalo was at the time or how many movies she was in (via IMDb), but her deadpan style would have fit the character of Marla Singer to a tee. While Carter definitely made the role her own, it's easy to imagine Garofalo being just as iconic as Carter is as the hopelessly depressed Marla.
For his part, Norton denied the claims. "I'm sorry Janeane is under that impression, but if she was serious, she's really mistaken," the actor said. He went on to remind readers that no one tells David Fincher what to do in his movies, an assertion that certainly jives with Fincher's reputation as a filmmaker (via The Ringer). Still, we can't help imagining how different "Fight Club" would be with Garofalo as one of the leads.