Sandra Bullock Initially Declined ‘The Lost City’ Role but Came Back With Revisions
Sandra Bullock did a great job portraying a successful yet depressed novelist, Loretta Sage, in the movie "The Lost City," but fans didn't know that she initially declined the role, as revealed in a recent interview.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures approached the 57-year-old actress to produce and star in the 2022 action-adventure/romantic comedy movie as the genre is slowly fading away in the industry.
Bullock declined the part, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. She later returned to Paramount with a revised version of the story, making the lead female character more heroic and bold and infusing the male's role with "feminine sensitivities."
"There weren't any obstacles for the female character. And the male character we've seen before," the "Ocean's 8" star told the outlet.
The actress noted that she loves the idea of a man in the movie that's willing to be "many aspects of himself" that aren't shown in films in the past because "they had to be the action hero."
When she was considering being a producer for the film, Bullock said she knew she wanted to have a "producing partner."
She later collaborated with Liza Chasin (3dot Productions).
"I was so tired of doing everything myself. [I thought], 'Where are the producers who are listed on the call sheet?'" she added.
"The Lost City" is currently celebrating a significant milestone as it amassed over $100 million domestically after the film was the first movie to be shown in theaters during the pandemic.
Today, the movie earned a total of $187.7 million globally and $105 million domestically.
The film also has a few records in the movie industry as it is the second-highest-grossing comedy since the pandemic started after "Free Guy," which earned $121.6 million, and the third-highest film with a female lead after "A Quiet Place Part II."
Despite Bullock's two previous films, "Bird Box" and "The Unforgivable," being released on Netflix, the actress and Chasin wanted the movie to be released in theaters.
"Yes, streaming was blossoming, but there was no doubt in our mind that this was theatrical. We were filming it for theatrical. It was all about scope and scale," she explained.
According to IMBd, the movie revolves around a romantic novelist on a book tour with her cover model. However, she survived a kidnapping attempt, leading them to wander around the jungle.
