Anne Hathaway is among the most demanded actresses in Hollywood. The 40-year-old star is immensely talented, and some of her remarkable works include Becoming Jane, Valentine’s Day, Serenity, Interstellar, Ocean’s Eight, The Princess Diaries, The Hustle, and more. She has given numerous back-to-back hits in her career, which include some iconic roles. However, there was once a time, when the Oscar winner was rejected for a film.

Anne Hathaway

As per reports, the Brokeback Mountain actress was up for a role in a musical; however, she was declined by the director because of her fame.

Anne Hathaway was rejected for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

The film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, was a musical slasher film directed by Tim Burton. It was taken from a screenplay by John Logan. The diva Anne Hathaway had become a popular name by 2007 when the film was released. She has worked in films like Ella Enchanted, The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, and more.

A still from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Hathaway wanted to play the role of Johanna in Tim Burton’s musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. However, she was shocked that the director rejected her because she was too famous. As per the reports, Burton was looking for a completely new face for the part, possibly to balance out a star-studded cast. The cast included Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman. Johanna’s role was given to newcomer Jayne Wisener.

Anne Hathaway worked with Tim Burton in Alice in Wonderland

The actress could not crack the role of Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, however, she got her chance to shine with Alice in Wonderland. She was offered the role of Alice in the film due to her image from The Princess Diaries.

She shared with GQ, “The studio had the Alice script a long time ago, and I was approached back then for the part of Alice. I considered it, but felt, what with The Princess Diaries, that I had been there, done that sort of pretty-girl-in-a-fairy-dress role.”

Love and Other Drugs star added, “I told the studio, however, that if they found a director eventually, that I would be interested at a later date in playing the White Queen.”

Anne Hathaway in Alice in Wonderland 2010

The actress revealed in the interview about how she landed the role in Tim Burton’s film, “When Tim came onboard he had the cast he wanted, and of course, that didn’t include me. But the other actress who was marked had scheduling conflicts, so the studio piped up and put me forward.”

She recalled, “I talked on the phone with Tim, and he liked my take. I wanted the Queen to be a cross between Debbie Harry, Greta Garbo, David Bowie, with a little bit of the work of Dan Flavin thrown in for good measure.”

Alice in Wonderland was released in 2010 and grossed $1 billion against a budget of $200 million. It is available for streaming on Disney+.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is streaming on Paramount and Apple TV.