Robin L Marshall/Getty; Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock Kathy Bates saysPretty Womandirector Garry Marshall wouldn't cast her as romantic lead in 1991'sFrankie and Johnny Bates had originated the role in a stage production; the movie part went to Michelle Pfeiffer The Oscar winner has previously opened up about losing parts because of her appearance Kathy Batessays late director Garry Marshall refused to cast her in a movie because he felt she wouldn't be convincing as a romantic lead. The Oscar winner said in aVanity Fairinterview published Tuesday, May 27 that Marshall would not cast her in the 1991 movieFrankie and Johnny, despite Bates having originated the role in 1987 opposite F. Murray Abraham in Off-Broadway'sFrankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune. "He couldn't make the leap that people would see me onscreen kissing someone. Me actually kissing a man onscreen — that would not be romantic," Bates, 76, told the outlet. (Marshall died in 2016 at age 81.) The part instead went toMichelle Pfeiffer, who starred opposite Al Pacino. Vinnie Zuffante/Getty In theVanity Fairarticle, Bates remembered taking a flight when she came across a magazine featuring Pfeiffer promoting the film. "I wanted to get on a plane. They said, 'Actually, Ms. Bates, there's one leaving right now.' I said, 'Great. Get me on it.' I got on Virgin Air. Sat down. Picked up a magazine. It's aboutFrankie and Johnny," she recalled. Bates and Pfeiffer, 67, went on to star in two movies together, both released in 2009:Personal EffectsandChéri. Bei/Shutterstock Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Bates said she "never felt that I belonged" in Hollywood, "but that's okay." TheMatlockstar said not relying on conventional beauty standards helped sustain her long career. "I see them sail away in their gowns.... So now? It's sweet revenge. Oh, Miss Beauty Queen, you had a career up until your 40s and you can't work? Too bad!" she toldVanity Fair, adding, "I'll think, 'Oh, you shouldn't say this; oh, you shouldn't say that.' But then I say, 'F--- it — I'm 76. Can't I justsayit?' " Paramount/Getty The PEOPLE Appis now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Back in January 1991, Bates toldThe New York Timesabout losing parts because of her looks. "I'm not a stunning woman. I never was an ingenue; I've always just been a character actor," she said at the time. "When I was younger it was a real problem, because I was never pretty enough for the roles that other young women were being cast in. The roles I was lucky enough to get were real stretches for me: usually a character who was older, or a little weird, or whatever." She added, "It was hard, not just for the lack of work but because you have to face up to how people are looking at you. And you think, 'Well, y'know, I'm a real person.' " Read the original article onPeople
