It's blasphemous imagining anyone else in Clarice Starling's shoes. But here's who almost had Foster's career...
Kelly McGillis
The Accused
McGillis, who opted to play the tough-talking lawyer instead, was the
original lead. Foster, after convincing the studio that she was no longer the overweight teenager from her awkward years, stepped in and won her first Oscar.
Michelle Pfeiffer
The Silence of the Lambs
Foster was Demme's second choice, but she won him over with an impassioned speech about the mythology of the female hero. The American Film Institute later named her Clarice the top female hero of all time.
Meg Ryan
Maverick
When Ryan bowed out weeks before shooting, Foster slid into a corset and
cozied up to new fast friend Mel Gibson. ''It was the perfect gig,'' she
says of her one foray into romantic comedy. ''I didn't have to worry
about [an audition].''
Nicole Kidman
Panic Room
Kidman, who was nursing an injury from Moulin Rouge, had to drop out
three weeks into production. Foster stepped down as head of the jury at Cannes to replace her and went on to score her highest-grossing opening
weekend yet.
Sean Penn
Flightplan
Though Penn was reportedly attached to star, Foster says the thriller
''was the only movie that I could even imagine being in'' after having
passed on three years' worth of scripts. ''And I read constantly. And
that was written for a man!''
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