Rachael Leigh Cook really regrets not playing Rogue in X-Men
The actor turned down the role because she wanted to "avoid acting on a green screen"
Rachael Leigh Cook is still thinking about the one (role) that got away. In a New York Times profile to promote He’s All That, the actor talks about regretting turning down the role of Rogue in X-Men, a part that instead went to her She’s All That co-star Anna Paquin. Cook says she wanted to “avoid acting on a green screen.” But she also says that, “as soon as I saw the posters for it, I knew that I’d made a mistake.”
Cook then went on to star in Josie And The Pussycats, but the movie bombed in the box office, leaving the actor stuck in “movie jail.” So, after not being able to land major Hollywood productions, Cook focused on building an indie career. “I really thought what everyone told me was correct when they said, ‘What we need to do now is make sure you’re taken seriously,’” she says. “I definitely did things for the wrong reasons.”
Luckily for Cook, people are finally coming around to Josie. The movie has a huge cult following, with fans loving its dark commentary on the music industry. Super Yaki’s t-shirts that say “Josie And The Pussycats is the best movie ever” went viral for a reason. And, come on, “3 Small Words” is one of the best movie songs ever written.
Cook also has a few upcoming projects on her plate. As mentioned in the NYT profile, she’s starring and producing Netflix romance flick A Tourist’s Guide to Love, based on a story created by the actor. A Variety summary of the film explains that “after an unexpected break up, a travel executive (Cook) accepts an assignment to go undercover and learn about the tourist industry in Vietnam. Along the way she finds adventure and romance with her Vietnamese expat tour guide when they decide to hijack the tour bus in order to explore life and love off the beaten path.”