Why Julia Roberts’ Wedding Role Nearly Sank the Film
Julia Roberts’ character in My Best Friend’s Wedding was so disliked by early viewers that filmmakers had to rethink her story arc. Find out how the film turned things around and became a box office smash.
Julia Roberts has long been a familiar face in romantic comedies, with her breakout role in Pretty Woman setting the tone for a career full of memorable leads. While she’d already picked up an Oscar nod for Steel Magnolias back in 1989, it was her turn as Vivian that really put her on the map. Over the years, she’s dabbled in all sorts of genres, but it’s the rom-coms that Aussies seem to remember best. Think of her as Anna Scott in Notting Hill or teaming up again with Richard Gere in Runaway Bride—she’s got a knack for these roles.
In 1997, Roberts joined forces with director PJ Hogan, known for Muriel’s Wedding, to star in My Best Friend’s Wedding. She played Julianne, a mate who suddenly realises she’s in love with her best friend just as he’s about to tie the knot with someone else. Instead of being supportive, Julianne sets out to throw a spanner in the works and break up the happy couple. It’s a pretty questionable move, and the film doesn’t shy away from showing her as a bit of a mess. If she really cared, you’d reckon she’d have said something before the wedding was on the cards, but the story leans into her flaws.
Early Reactions and Studio Panic
Director Hogan was worried punters wouldn’t get where Julianne was coming from. After all, trying to wreck your mate’s big day isn’t exactly a loveable trait. Early test screenings had a different ending, where Julianne, after accepting her mate’s marriage, meets a new bloke—played by John Corbett—and finds romance elsewhere. But the test audiences weren’t having it.
“They wanted her dead,”
Hogan told Entertainment Weekly.
“They just couldn’t understand her motives.”
The studio was in a flap. They needed viewers to at least sympathise with Julianne, or at the very least, not walk out of the cinema hating her. And, let’s be honest, a Hollywood rom-com without a happy ending for the lead just doesn’t fly.
Rewriting the Ending
To fix things, the filmmakers decided to beef up the role of George, Julianne’s gay mate, played by Rupert Everett. He became her sounding board, the one she’d ring up whenever she was about to do something dodgy.
“We expanded his character. Every time Julianne talked to him, she’d explain why she was doing these terrible things; he’s her conscience throughout. Whenever she was being particularly devious I’d have her phone Rupert’s character and he would call her out on it.”
This tweak made Julianne’s actions a bit more understandable, and gave the audience someone to relate to as she made her questionable choices.
Box Office Success and Lasting Impact
With the changes in place, My Best Friend’s Wedding—also starring Cameron Diaz and Dermot Mulroney—hit cinemas and was a massive hit. Viewers didn’t leave the theatre wanting Julianne’s head on a stick, and Roberts’ star power only grew. The film raked in $299.3 million, cementing her status as one of Hollywood’s top leading actors. It just goes to show, sometimes a bit of feedback from the locals can turn a film around.