9. Eileen Atkins Turned Down Joanna Lumley's Role In The Wolf Of Wall Street
For British audiences, watching Joanna Lumley turn up in Martin Scorsese's acclaimed - and highly controversial - biopic The Wolf of Wall Street must have come as something of a surprise, for no other reason than "it's Joanna Lumley - what the heck is she doing here?" Such a reaction would have presumably been spurred on by the fact that the super posh actress has dedicated most of her recent years to voice-over work and occasional guest spots on TV shows. Still, she proved herself aptly cast and worthwhile as "Aunt Emma," an incredibly British - and flirty - old minx of a character who agrees to help Leonardo DiCaprio's eponymous Wolf, Jordan Belfort, hide his money away from the authorities. Lumley wasn't the first choice for this role, however - Aunt Emma was originally offered to legendary British actress Dame Eileen Atkins, who turned down her chance to appear due to scheduling conflicts. The reason she might feel a little depressed in retrospect, though? Her role as Aunt Emma would have required her to, oh, KISS LEONARDO DICAPRIO FOUR TIMES. "I would have loved to have done it but there was a chance I would have missed rehearsal time," she said, referring to her lead role in play All The Fall. "They could not believe I turned it down," Atkins added. Neither can we, to be honest. Leonardo DiCaprio! FOUR TIMES!
