Cher Told This Director ‘I Just Wanted To Meet You’ Then Declined Working With Them In 1987

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Cher

Back in 1987 Cher iconically turned up audition for a part in front of a director before then saying she didn’t want it anyway and just wanted the chance to meet them. The actress and singer was incredibly busy back in the 80s and simply didn’t have the bandwidth, but the fact she still turned up is so memorable.

Who Was The Director And What Did Cher Do?

Director Martin Scorsese was utterly taken aback by Cher’s sheer talent and charming personality, and found what he thought would be the perfect role for her to fill: Mary Magdalene in “The Last Temptation of Christ.” However there was simply no way Cher had the time to make such a big role work around her other existing commitments.

Chatting about the moment on CBS News back in 2013, Cher recalled how she overly prepared herself for the meeting to make a good impression. Then, she still proceeded to decline the part. The star said: “I went there looking like Mary Magdalene, ’cause Meryl [Streep] helped me with it. And he went, ‘What do you mean, you don’t want to do it?’ And I went, ‘Well, I can’t do it. I just wanted to come and meet you and have the interview.’”

In 1990 Cher famously said something about directors and how important it is to play the field when it comes to figuring out who is a right fit to work with. The quote reads: “You just have to be as smart as I am. If the director is smart, he is worth his weight in gold – otherwise I want him to leave me alone.”

The role ultimately ended up being given to actress Barbara Hershey instead, and she ended up praised heavily by critics for her committed performance. Barbara even received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role by The Golden Globes – so all’s well that ends well I guess! Perhaps the part was always destined to fall into Barbara’s hands after all.

Things worked out for Cher as well, as not too long after rejecting the role in “The Last Temptation of Christ” she landed a part in “Moonstruck”, for which she went on to win an Oscar for Best Actress. After her performance in “Moonstruck”, Cher became incredibly sought-after in the world of film and media, as well as very expensive to hire. Director Martin was still hoping to work with Cher, and hoped that she would be able to play a role in his new 1990 movie called “The Grifters” However, the producers of the film couldn’t afford to pay Cher the huge salary she was now worth, so they sadly missed out on working with her once more!

More About Cher’s Acting Career

Cher has starred in a number of films aside from “Moonstruck”. A handful of her other most notable films include “The Witches of Eastwick” (1987), “Mask” (1985), “Silkwood” (1984), “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (2018), “Mermaids” (1991), “Burlesque” (2010), and “Suspect” (1987).