They did not have her at “hello.”
Seven months before her sudden death, Anne Heche revealed she almost starred opposite Tom Cruise in the 1996 romantic comedy, “Jerry Maguire,” and even divulged what she thought cost her the gig.
She explained on Tuesday’s episode of the “Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef” podcast, which was recorded in January, that she did a “screen test” for the part of Dorothy Boyd, which ended up going to Renée Zellweger.
According to Heche, she may have insulted the film’s director, Cameron Crowe, during the audition.
“I was like, ‘I don’t understand who she is because he’s not really in love with her. So I don’t understand this movie,’” she recalled telling him. “He didn’t really love her. And she wished that he loved her. Bye, no, that doesn’t make sense.”
“And my agent called me up after and was like, ‘Are you out of your mind? Did you just say that this movie doesn’t make any sense?’ And I said, ‘Yup,’” the actress went on, noting her agent quickly informed her that she didn’t get the part.
“And I’m like, ‘Well, but you can’t do a love story where the guy isn’t really in love with the girl.’”
Describing herself as a very “logical” person, Heche argued, “If [something] doesn’t make sense, I have the power to ask the question and learn.”
However, she said she eventually “learned” to “tame” her emotions and “shut [her] mouth a little bit. “But that was when I was a little wild child.”
Not only did “Jerry Maguire” receive incredibly favorable reviews from critics and fans alike, but it also grossed more than $273 million worldwide.
The film went on to receive five Oscar nominations, with Cuba Gooding Jr. winning Best Supporting Actor, and three Golden Globe nominations, with Cruise winning for Best Actor.
The movie’s success was not lost on Heche.
“Dude. Believe me, I know. Believe me. I know exactly what happened,” she said to Yontef.
“These are mistakes that I’ve made in my life. It’s things that I’m willing to admit in my 12-step program of admitting stupid things I’ve done: Tell Cameron Crowe that his movie doesn’t make sense.”
She said she “never saw Tom Cruise again” but that she wanted to.
The actress drove her car into someone’s Los Angeles home on Aug. 5. While initially said to be in stable condition, she “slipped” into a coma and never woke up. She was declared brain dead on Aug. 12.
Her rep confirmed to Page Six at the time that she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury.
On Sunday, she was taken off life support after matching with an organ donor.
The Los Angeles Police Department subsequently dismissed their investigation into Heche, who was reportedly driving under the influence of cocaine when the crash occurred.
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