Sandra Bullock convinced the producers of her new film to change the lead character from male to female so she could tackle a role originally meant for her longtime pal George Clooney.
The actress stars in upcoming political film Our Brand is Crisis, playing a political consultant called Jane "Calamity"Bodine, who comes out of retirement after being employed by a much-hated Bolivian president to help his re-election campaign.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bullock reveals she wanted the job so badly, she asked movie executives to change the male Bodine character into a woman so she could fit the bill.
"Initially, it was written with George Clooney in mind. About two-and-a-half years ago I just put out the feelers saying, 'I'm not reading anything I'm excited about. Are there any male roles out there that they don't mind switching to a female role?'... You don't get to read roles like this (in Our Brand is Crisis) a lot. There's a lot of unforgivable things that she does, yet somehow you have to cheer for her."
