LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sandra Bullock is undoubtedly one of the most prominent Hollywood stars of all time. Throughout her decorated career, Bullock has delivered iconic performances in films like ‘Speed’, ‘Demolition Man’, ‘Miss Congeniality’, ‘The Proposal’, ‘The Heat’, ‘Crash’, ‘Premonition’, ‘Birdbox’, ‘Ocean’s 8’ and ‘Gravity’, among many others. She also earned an Academy Award for Best Actress after playing Leigh Anne Tuohy in the 2009 biographical drama ‘The Blind Side’ and was named the world’s highest-paid actress in 2013-2014.
However, several reports revealed that the actress once made multiple failed attempts to make the 2004 sports drama film, ‘Million Dollar Baby’, before moving on to work on ‘Miss Congeniality 2’. When the film finally got the green signal and was taken up by Clint Eastwood, the lead role went to Hilary Swank as Bullock could not take up the film due to scheduling conflicts. The movie even earned Swank the Oscar Award for Best Actress. Meanwhile, some rumors suggested that Bullock snubbed ‘Million Dollar Baby’ and turned down the offer to star in the movie. The actress later refuted the claims and called the rumors “total rubbish.”
‘We tried and tried’
Following the speculation about Bullock turning down ‘Million Dollar Baby’, the actress revealed that she tried to get the film made for several years but faced rejection after pitching it to executives, so she moved on to other projects. “We had Million Dollar Baby with someone else for a while, trying to get it made. I couldn't get it made. We tried and tried and tried,” the Golden Globe winner said, as per the Irish Examiner.
Bullock, who was initially supposed to play the lead role in the film, was reportedly pursuing Shekhar Kapur to direct the project. Despite the actress’ constant efforts, the film could not be made and was even allegedly dubbed “unsellable” at one point. “(They were like) Female boxing movies don't sell. I was like, ‘This is the most incredible piece,’” Bullock explained. “I then started doing ‘Miss Congeniality 2’ and they got Hilary (Swank) and they got Clint,” she added. The film went on to earn over $216M and received seven Oscar nominations, winning four in total.
‘The Lost City’ star also shared that she was not upset about Swank winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for a role Bullock wanted to play. “When things like that happen, that's the way they're supposed to be,” she mentioned.
What is ‘Million Dollar Baby’ about?
‘Million Dollar Baby’ is a sports drama film based on stories from FX. Toole’s ‘Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner’. The film follows the story of Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank), a waitress and an aspiring boxer, who seeks the help of a stern but well-meaning elderly boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), who reluctantly agrees to assist and coach her in making a boxing career. Maggie and Frankie eventually develop a close bond through the course of the film.
During one of the matches organized by Frankie, Maggie suffers a critical injury and is left a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. Maggie’s condition worsens as she develops bedsores and undergoes an amputation for an infected leg. She ultimately asks Frankie to end her suffering and help her die after assuring him that she already got what she wanted from life.
Frankie’s priest, who knows about the former’s fatherly affection towards Maggie, warns him against acting on Maggie’s wish. However, Frankie finally decides to end Maggie’s suffering and sneaks into the hospital to help her die by administering a fatal adrenaline injection. Shortly before ending her life, Frankie reveals the meaning of “mo chuisle,” a nickname he gave to Maggie, saying it translates to, “my darling, and my blood.” The film is narrated by Frankie’s friend Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman), who watches the entire ordeal from the shadows.
