Mandy Moore, Busy Philipps accuse ‘Guys and Dolls’ casting producers of sexism
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BEVERLY HILLS, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Busy Phillips and Mandy Moore attend The A List 15th Anniversary Party on September 1, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for The A List) (Getty)
When Mandy Moore learned that “Guys and Dolls” was being remade into a Hollywood musical, she instantly tweeted that Adelaide is her “dream role.”
“Just throwing my hat in the ring,” she wrote, retweeting a Variety article that announced TriStar Pictures had acquired the rights to remake the 1955 film and Broadway play by the same name, about gangsters and gamblers in New York.
But when the “This Is Us” star appeared on “Busy Tonight” Monday, Moore, 34, shared why neither she nor Busy Philipps — who is also up for the role — have been able to audition for the part.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“‘Please, I just want to get in the room. I’ll sing, I’ll do whatever I have to do,'” Moore said she told her agents, who responded, “They want to cast the male leads first, and then they want to talk about who the ladies are.”
“That’s Hollywood for you,” Moore continued. “So, I was, like, ‘OK, I’ll sit tight and wait to see who they cast to be Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson.'”
Philipps, 39, had a more expletive-filled response to the producers’ decision, saying, “That’s such f–king bulls–t.” As the audience cheered, Moore asked, “It’s 2019. That’s still what we’re coming up against?”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Philipps then expressed that while Hollywood has seemingly made positive changes — perhaps referring to the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements — there is still room for improvement because of who is making the decisions behind the scenes.
“For all of the talk, things are still run by white men,” the E! host said. “So, until you get them out of the top positions, there’s no f–king chance for any of the rest of us.”
According to Variety, three men — John Goldwyn, Marc Toberoff and Meyer Gottlieb — are indeed producing the film. However, TriStar Pictures’ Hannah Minghella and Nicole Brown are overseeing production.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TriStar Pictures did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment, but a source close to production said casting has not yet begun because a director has not been chosen.
The source added, “Once that begins, I’m told that we’ll be looking at actors and actresses for all four lead roles equally.”
This story originally appeared on Page Six.