Why There Was So Much Uncertainty To Cast Glenn Close In Her Best Role

Paramount Pictures had good reason to believe Adrian Lyne's "Fatal Attraction" would be another box office smash for the hit-making studio (which had just dominated 1986 with five of the ten highest-grossing movies of that year — including the top two in "Top Gun" and "Crocodile Dundee"), but they couldn't have anticipated the film becoming a full-blown, adult-skewing blockbuster. Nevertheless, the erotic thriller about an extramarital fling that turns into a waking nightmare for the happily married Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) outperformed such heavy hitters as "Beverly Hills Cop II," "The Untouchables," and "Lethal Weapon" to become the second highest-grossing film of 1987 (behind the four-quadrant behemoth "Three Men and a Baby").

Why was the film such a pop cultural sensation? Every single element clicked perfectly into place. Lyne brought the sensual heat, James Dearden's screenplay tightened the screws with nerve-jangling precision, and the stars absolutely smoldered. Douglas and Glenn Close looked like they wanted to jump each other's bones in their first scene together, and when they finally go for it ... let's just say it was the date movie of 1987 for a reason.

But when the affair ends and Dan goes back to his family, Close's Alex Forrest wants to keep the party going. She believes there's something more than sexual attraction between the two, and goes to bunny-boiling lengths to drive Dan back into her arms. The second half of the movie belongs to Close. She's electrifying, heartbreaking, and ultimately terrifying. /Film chose Alex Forrest as her finest work. So you might be surprised to learn that she had to fight to land the role.

In an oral history for The New York Times published on the film's thirtieth anniversary, producer Sherry Lansing revealed that Barbara Hershey wanted the part, but wasn't available. The list of actors considered for Alex was long and distinguished (and, in some cases, a bit puzzling): Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon, Ellen Barkin, Debra Winger, Melanie Griffith, Isabelle Adjani (Lyne's first choice), and Tracy Ullman.

Close was eager for a shot at the part because it would be a major departure for her. As she told the Times:

"I just wanted a character that would demand more of me. I'd never played a character who was supposed to be sexy. I knew I could do it. They were so sure I was wrong. They didn't even want me to read because they were embarrassed."

Lyne thought Close mostly played nice characters, so he couldn't see it. But with three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress to her credit, Close deserved a chance to audition if she wanted to. Even then, this was a big ask. According to Douglas:

"We were doing a big favor for Glenn's agent by letting her read with me. I don't think any of us had high hopes — she's a wonderful actress, but she always projected a Puritan vision. The moment I saw her, I was like, 'Whoa!'"

When Close came in to read with Douglas, she'd let her hair go frizzy, which wound up being Alex's look in the film. From the start, Alex projects an intoxicating mixture of intelligence and wildness. Dan would be crazy to not be turned on by her; he'd also be an unfaithful lout to act on it. But then we wouldn't have a movie.

Close's performance earned her a Best Actress nomination (she lost to Cher for "Moonstruck"), and changed the trajectory of her career (though she still hasn't won that ever-elusive Oscar). She followed "Fatal Attraction" with a wickedly witty turn opposite John Malkovich in "Dangerous Liaisons," and took on complex, occasionally feisty characters in films like 1990's "Hamlet," "The Paper" and "101 Dalmatians" (where she brought dog killer Cruella de Vil to viciously vibrant life).

None of this would've been possible had she not pursued the part of Alex Forrest so tenaciously. And we would've been robbed of one of cinema's most fascinating characters (one who is done a grave disservice at the end of Lyne's film).