1. - Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones's Diary, 2001. “I couldn't do it because I didn't know how long Wild Party was going to play on Broadway.”

2. - Reneee Zellweger,  Chicago, 2002.

3. - Emily Watson, Wah-Wah, 2005. She was in good company. Also passing: Emmanuelle Béart, Meg Ryan, Rachel Weisz.

4. - Cameron Diaz, In Her Shoes, 2005. First idea of director Curtis Hanson was Toni as Maggie Feller with Sarah Michelle Gellar as her sister Rose. SMG quit the project, Toni became Rose and Diaz took over Maggie.

5. - Nicole Kidman, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, 2006. Twenty years, nine directors, eight scripts, seven Dianes later, finally a film was afoot by Steven Secretary Shainberg. He grew up hearing all about the innovative 60s’ photographer - his uncle Lawrence was her close friend.

6. - Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, 2006. Very keen, but turned down for Mrs Lovett, making the meatiest of meat pies from the victims of a demonic Johnny Depp. So were Annette Bening, Cyndi Lauper, Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson when, surprise, surprise, the director’s wife got the job - Mrs Tim Burton of the continually changing breast sizes. She was pregnant during the shoot.

7. - Penelope Cruz, Nine, 2009.