Joining hands with college freshmen the nation over, Janeane Garofalo recently broke the first two rules of Fight Club by talking about the movie “Fight Club.”
In an interview with Yahoo’s Build Q&A series on Tuesday, Garofalo said she was originally set to star in the 1999 cult classic as Marla Singer but the part went to Helena Bonham Carter because Ed Norton said she “didn’t have the chops to do it.”
“I was like, ‘Can I audition with him or for him?’ ” the actress told Yahoo. “And I was told that he would like Courtney Love to do it, because he was dating her, but Brad Pitt said, ‘I’m not going to sign off on that.’ So, they agreed on Helena Bonham Carter, who was probably much better than I would have been.”
Garofalo added that losing the part shocked her because director David Fincher allegedly offered her the role.
Years later, according to Garofalo, Brad Pitt apologized for the situation.
“He very kindly said, ‘I’m sorry about what happened with that,’ and he had nothing to do with it,” she said.
Norton disputed the accuracy of Garofalo’s memory in a statement to CNN.
“I’m sorry Janeane is under that impression, but if she was serious, she’s really mistaken.”
“David Fincher does exactly what he wants,” Norton said. “He makes the call on every dimension of his films, top to bottom. I don’t recall him ever even raising the subject of who he was considering for most other roles.”
“The one suggestion I made, he shot down,” he added. “I was a big fan of Janeane’s so I’d have loved to do a reading with her!”
Garofalo is currently promoting her new film “Come As You Are,” which arrives in theaters on Feb. 14.
