French actress Léa Seydoux is having a big moment right now at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Not only is she set to star in the latest film from director David Cronenberg, “Crimes Of The Future” (read our review), but she is also the lead in Mia Hansen-Løve’s “One Fine Morning” (read our review) But there is another project she is opening up about that she almost did.
In an interview with IndieWire, Seydoux confirmed her role as Belladonna Boudreaux in the Channing Tatum-led superhero vehicle “Gambit,” stating that the script she read “was really good.” In 2015, she was looking to take on this part because she felt it would be “a departure from her other work.” In doing so, she auditioned, did a screen test, and landed it. “I feel that in America, people have more imagination,” she said. “I have been offered films very, very far from what I’ve done, and I’m like, ‘Oh. Interesting.’ I love to feel that I can adapt myself. For me, that’s very exotic.”
She hinted at some of the struggles Tatum and company had in developing the project, stating that the draft of the script she read had “some funny bits in it, but they wanted to make more of a comedy.”
Ultimately, the film was never made, and Tatum, the experience left a sour taste in his mouth for years, as it was something he had dreamed of making. As for Seydoux, she got attached to another big franchise, as she played Dr. Madeleine Swann in the James Bond films “Spectre” and “No Time to Die,” showcasing her extraordinary talents in a big studio project.
A fun additional fact never revealed until now: Natalie Portman was initially supposed to play Seydoux’s part in “Crimes Of The Future.” When her schedule with “Thor: Love And Thunder” conflicted, she dropped out of the film, and Seydoux took the role instead.