Debra Winger is getting candid on why she exited "A League of Their Own."
The Oscar-nominated actress was set to play Dottie Hinson in the 1992 baseball film but decided to quit after Madonna was cast in the role of Mae Mordabito. Speaking with The Telegraph, Winger said she did not want to be part of an "Elvis film," which is what she felt director Penny Marshall was doing by bringing Madonna into the film.
"The studio agreed with me because it was the only time I ever collected a pay-or-play on my contract. In other words, I collected my pay even though I did not play, and that’s very hard to get in a court," Winger explained.
The star had worked hard to prepare for her role, even spending three months training with Chicago Cubs, and felt that the newer version of the film did not appropriately honor the players.
"As entertaining as [the final film] was, you don’t walk away going 'Wow, those women did that.’'You kind of go 'Is that true?'" she said.
Winger felt that the actresses appearing in the film did not spend nearly enough time training with the team and described her replacement, Geena Davis, as "OK."
"I certainly don’t begrudge any of them," Winger said before stating that Madonna's acting career "has spoken for itself."
Winger stunned fans when she walked away from Hollywood in 1995. There were rumors that she made the decision because of misogyny but in a 2017 interview with People said she could not identify with the scene.
"I don’t know what Hollywood is. I’m living under the freaking sign now, and I just stare at it and laugh," she said. "Los Angeles is a place, but the idea of Hollywood doesn’t really exist for me. Broadway is more of a family than Hollywood, although there must be some in-crowds that I just don’t know about."
Winger went on to explain that ultimately her decision to leave Hollywood was because she had lost interest.
"The parts that were coming, I wasn’t interested in. I’d already done that or I’d already felt that. I needed to be challenged. My life challenged me more than the parts, so I dove into it fully," she said, adding that she had not left show business for good, but simply "pushed the pause button."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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