How Losing a 1984 Movie Role to Drew Barrymore Became the Biggest Blessing of Jennifer Connelly’s Career
Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Connelly is known for her versatility across a wide range of film genres. Starting her career as a child actor and model in advertisements, she later entered the film business and was featured in films like Labyrinth, A Beautiful Mind, Blood Diamond, and many more.
One moment that had a big impact on Connelly’s journey to Hollywood was in 1984 when she was replaced by Drew Barrymore for the lead role in Firestarter. Although this seems like a misfortune, it led her to Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, which marked the beginning of her acting career.
Losing the Role of Firestarter Was Beneficial for Jennifer Connelly
After losing the role in Firestarter to Drew Barrymore, Connelly successfully auditioned for Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. Without any professional training or acting background and little screen experience, she won the part of young Deborah Gelly as she resembled Elizabeth McGovern, who portrayed adult Gelly. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Connelly said,
I always wanted to be very professional and do as good a job as I could. Like, “Firestarter,” I remember it was one of the movies that I auditioned for and didn’t get. Then I had this audition for “Once Upon a Time in America,” and I had zero training and, like, no skill point whatsoever. I think I was really helped by the fact that I looked enough like Elizabeth McGovern.
Connelly’s work in Once Upon a Time in America served as a turning point in her career. The film was critically acclaimed, and it helped her gain exposure by working with an extraordinary director like Leone. She said,
When I was that age, it was really remarkable being on the set of ‘Once Upon a Time in America.’ I think it’s such a beautiful film, and he was such an extraordinary director, Sergio Leone. I was so mesmerized by him. I thought he was such a genius, and he was so gentle.
On the other hand, Firestarter did not perform so well at the box office and was not well received by critics. The film did not have a positive impact on Barrymore’s acting career.
Although Barrymore had seen success with her debut in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Firestarter‘s failure led to a bit of struggle for her in the 1980s. However, she eventually continued her acting career and starred in movies like Batman Forever, Scream, The Wedding Singer, and so on.
However, Connelly was able to carry forward the pace set in Once Upon a Time in America. She was featured in movies like Labyrinth, Career Opportunities, and Requiem for a Dream, which showed her versatility.
Her role in the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, along with many other awards that cemented her position as one of the most renowned actresses in Hollywood.
Labyrinth’s Redemption and Jennifer Connelly’s Typecasting
Since her first movie role in Once Upon a Time in America at the age of 11, Jennifer Connelly has come a long way and has given many outstanding performances both in high-budget movies and independent movies.
One of her most memorable characters is her character in the 1986 fantasy movie Labyrinth. Although the movie was not a commercial success at first, Connelly says that there is a certain love for the film even now. According to Variety, Connelly said,
I remember hearing rumblings (about Labyrinth’s mediocre collection) but people’s affection has grown over the years. People talk to me about it in a way that seems outsized to the response when it was first released.
Even though Connelly has earned praise for her dramatic performances, she openly talks about her struggle to get comic roles. In an interview with CBS, she blames her eyebrows for making her look serious, which could have led to her being typecast for dramatic roles.
I don’t know. But I tend to get cast more in dramas. I think it’s my eyebrows. I look very serious. I look stern even when I’m not stern. If I’m not feeling cross, I look a little bit cross. I can’t help it. It’s just my face.
From her performance in A Beautiful Mind to her voice work as Peter Parker’s A.I. system in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Connelly has never failed to prove her range in acting. Although she lost the Firestarter role, her life story shows that sometimes failures pave the way to bigger opportunities to grow a career in a way that successes do not.
Labyrinth is now available on Prime Video.
