# Julia Roberts 'was first choice' to play black abolitionist Harriet Tubman **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710 "2019-11-20T15:07:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/1 "2019-11-20T15:07:02Z")
[From Sky News](https://news.sky.com/story/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-abolitionist-harriet-tubman-11865490): > [@](#): > > Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard says a Hollywood executive said it was so long ago “no one will know” Harriet was black. I can’t help but think this is relevant to [this necro-thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=877093) which I’m not going to revive. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/2 "2019-11-20T15:23:54Z")
Anybody who saw _The Player_ wouldn’t be surprised by this. 🙂 hey, in a world where people of color can play the founding fathers, is this even a bad thing? (Ok it is.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/3 "2019-11-20T15:29:32Z")
_Still_ a better casting choice than _The Watch_. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/4 "2019-11-20T15:45:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Harriet creator Gregory Allen Howard says an unnamed studio president who discussed making the biopic back in 1994 said: “This is a great script. Let’s get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman.” 25 years ago. I’m sure the viral outrage works to raise awareness of the movie, and it might seem wrong to consider this “outdated news”, when the topic is a movie about someone who’s been gone a whole lot longer, but I do feel like I’ve been trolled. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/5 "2019-11-20T15:59:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Harriet creator Gregory Allen Howard says an unnamed studio president who discussed making the biopic back in 1994 said: “This is a great script. Let’s get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman.” > > When it was pointed out to him that Tubman was black he reportedly responded: “It was so long ago. No one is going to know the difference.” While I can’t rule out that some studio executive was this dumb, it seems more likely to me that he was making a joke. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/6 "2019-11-20T16:05:56Z")
The Sky News link put a damn pop-up on my phone that I couldn’t get rid of. Here’s the story from CNN: > **[A Hollywood executive wanted Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman in a biopic...](https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/20/entertainment/julia-roberts-harriet-tubman-trnd/index.html)** > > A Hollywood studio executive once suggested that Julia Roberts should play iconic African-American activist Harriet Tubman in a biopic. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/7 "2019-11-20T16:09:38Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > While I can’t rule out that some studio executive was this dumb, it seems more likely to me that he was making a joke. I wouldn’t rule out that a good portion of the country _is_ that dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/8 "2019-11-20T16:33:15Z")
Too bad the movie wasn’t made 25 years ago–the trains would have likely been practical then. Now, they will probably be half-assed CG. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/9 "2019-11-20T16:49:17Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Too bad the movie wasn’t made 25 years ago–the trains would have likely been practical then. Now, they will probably be half-assed CG. 🙂 You mean the trains on the Underground Railroad? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/10 "2019-11-20T17:23:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > 🙂 You mean the trains on the Underground Railroad? Don’t forget Washington National Airport. There aren’t any flying examples of 1860 airliners, so they’ll have to be cg. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/11 "2019-11-20T17:43:30Z")
There’s something worth noting. The CNN story reports that Howard says he was told about this story. He didn’t say he was there in the room when the executive said it. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/12 "2019-11-20T18:03:32Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Too bad the movie wasn’t made 25 years ago–the trains would have likely been practical then. Now, they will probably be half-assed CG. It doesn’t matter; you can’t really see the trains because they’re underground. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/13 "2019-11-20T18:05:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > While I can’t rule out that some studio executive was this dumb, it seems more likely to me that he was making a joke. It’s gotta be a joke. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/14 "2019-11-20T18:43:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s gotta be a joke. Or, to take it in a negative light, the producer was basically saying that the only way the movie would be successful would be if a white woman was in the lead. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/15 "2019-11-20T18:47:25Z")
The only way I can imagine Julia Roberts in the lead of a Harriet Tubman biopic is if the focus is shifted to another character, such as a (perhap fictional) white woman working on the Underground Railroad. Actually scratch that. Instead of a Harriet Tubman biopic, imagine a film more broadly about the Underground Railroad. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/16 "2019-11-20T19:05:01Z")
Harriet has made less than 34 million dollars at the box office, a big studio production with a star as big as Julia Roberts 25 years ago in a renamed role would likely have made more money. This is just another silly thing for people who like to get outraged to get outraged about. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/17 "2019-11-20T19:09:42Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Don’t forget Washington National Airport. There aren’t any flying examples of 1860 airliners, so they’ll have to be cg. The Washington Nationals have their own airport? I guess that’s what comes of winning the World Series. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/18 "2019-11-20T19:24:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s gotta be a joke. I can 100% believe a single producer being this dumb. The only requirement for being a producer in Hollywood is, “has a lot of money,” and there’s a lot of really stupid rich people out there. But there’s also a massive gulf between, “One dipshit thought this was a good idea,” and “This idea had even the remotest chance of actually getting put into a movie.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/19 "2019-11-20T20:32:40Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The Washington Nationals have their own airport? I guess that’s what comes of winning the World Series. Obviously it wasn’t called Reagan National in 1860. Ronnie wouldn’t be born for another 50 years. Get your historical facts right! 🙂 And besides, the DC baseball team in 1860 was the Senators. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710/20 "2019-11-20T21:19:51Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Obviously it wasn’t called Reagan National in 1860. Ronnie wouldn’t be born for another 50 years. Get your historical facts right! 🙂 > > And besides, the DC baseball team in 1860 was the Senators. I know you’re being facetious, as am I, but Washington didn’t have a professional baseball team until 1871 and had a team named the Nationals in 1872. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julia-roberts-was-first-choice-to-play-black-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/843710.md?page=2)