Jessica Lange almost passed on Tootsie

Jessica Lange’s procrastination almost cost the actress her Oscar-winning role in 1982 comedy Tootsie.
The American Horror Story veteran nabbed the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Julie Nichols, Dustin Hoffman’s big screen love interest, but she reveals it was a gig she nearly passed on.
“I almost didn’t do it,” she confessed on U.S. breakfast show Good Morning America. “I turned it down because I had just finished a film called Frances, which was this huge dramatic role, and when Sydney Pollack and Dustin came to me about doing Tootsie, I thought, ‘Oh, this is so lightweight, I don’t want (to do that).'”
Reflecting on her hesitation 35 years after the movie’s release, Jessica admits she would advise her younger self to, “Get over it girl, just do it.
“Don’t make them ask for months and months!” she laughed.
Now 67, the star is thankful she had the sense to finally take on the project, insisting, “It was one of the best decisions I ended up ever making, because it’s a classic film.”
Jessica was nominated for two Oscars at the 1983 prizegiving, as her work in Frances had also earned her a nod for Best Actress in a Leading Role, an honour she lost to Meryl Streep for Sophie’s Choice.
The two films gave Lange’s Hollywood career a huge boost, and she has since garnered a further four Oscar nominations, scoring gold again in 1995, when she was named Best Actress in a Leading Role for Blue Sky.