Gloria Estefan Reveals Why She Turned Down Starring in the Evita Movie | Playbill

Video Gloria Estefan Reveals Why She Turned Down Starring in the Evita Movie

The three-time Grammy winner was offered the role when Oliver Stone was slated to direct the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical.

Three-time Grammy-winning artist (and Broadway jukebox biomusic subject) Gloria Estefan dropped by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen June 21 and revealed that she was offered and turned down the chance to star in the title role of Evita on the big screen. According to Estefan, she was offered the role by director Oliver Stone, who was attached to the project long before it actually got made under the direction of Alan Parker.

"They were taking a lot of liberties with the script, and I'm Latina, and I didn't want to go down that route," shares Estefan. Watch above.

The film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Evita famously suffered a long road to the big screen, with development dating back as far as the 1976 release of the concept album before the work had even been staged. Over the next two decades, a host of stars were reported as attached to star, including Liza Minnelli, Elaine Paige, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, and more.

Stone ultimately left the project in 1994 following budget disputes, but received a co-writing credit on the final film, which was released in 1996 starring Madonna. The movie went on to win Best Original Song at the 1997 Academy Awards ("You Must Love Me," later added to stage productions of the musical) and Best Actress—Musical or Comedy (Madonna) and Best Picture—Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes.

 
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