The ‘Ghostbusters’ role almost played by Julia Roberts: “I thought she was spectacular”
For a whole generation of kids, there will never be another movie like Ghostbusters. Ivan Reitman’s 1984 spectral comedy has had a huge impact on culture, from its characters and imagery to its iconic quotes to Ray Parker Jr’s legendary theme song. It has spawned three sequels, a remake, an animated TV show, video games, board games, merchandise, and just about any other capitalist venture you can think of.
The first movie’s history is built on actors replacing other actors. Dan Ackroyd initially envisioned himself and John Belushi in the lead roles, but that idea was scuppered after Belushi’s untimely death. Eddie Murphy was supposedly meant to appear in the role of Winston Zeddemore, but once that fell through, Ernie Hudson was parachuted in. And then there’s the character of Dana Barrett, the love interest of Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman and vessel for the evil spirit Zuul. She ended up being played by Sigourney Weaver but was almost brought to life by another Hollywood icon.
In 2016, Reitman spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the process of making Ghostbusters, where he shared this tidbit from the casting process. “The biggest cast member to find was the part of Dana Barrett,” he said. “A number of people came in. Julia Roberts was one of the first. I thought she was spectacular, and I turned to my casting director, saying, ‘She’s going to be a big star.’ And then Sigourney Weaver walked in.”
At this point in her career, Roberts was almost a complete unknown. Her first movie, a direct-to-video affair called Firehouse, was still three years away, and she wasn’t even credited in that. It wouldn’t be until 1988’s Mystic Pizza that she would fully break through, followed by more establishing performances in 1989’s Steel Magnolias and, of course, 1990’s Pretty Woman. Other auditionees for the role of Barrett included Daryl Hannah, Denise Crosby, and Kelly LeBrock.
Weaver was eventually chosen after some initial hesitation, as she had only really played serious parts before. However, as Reitman remembered, she quickly brushed those fears to one side: “She said, ‘You know, I really think that Dana Barrett should be possessed. She should be like that dog on the roof.’ And then she got on all fours on my coffee table, howling like a dog!”
Reitman clearly enjoyed working with Weaver, as he spoke very fondly of her. “She was funny and had a regality, and having her with my Ghostbusters was like having Margaret Dumont with the Marx Brothers,” he said. “Right after she left my office, I called Harold Ramis and said: ‘Harold, Sigourney Weaver just started howling like a dog in my office. She said that she should get possessed by the dog and turn into a dog,’ and I thought, ‘Damn, that’s a really good idea.’”
The Barrett character proved so popular that she returned for the 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II. Dana and Peter are revealed to have gotten together, divorced, and had a son, Oscar, who ends up being kidnapped by a vengeful ghoul named Vigo the Carpathian.
Weaver showed up for a brief cameo in the 2016 all-female reboot of Ghostbusters, playing an older scientist and mentor to Kate McKinnon’s character named Dr. Gorin. She reprised the role of Dana Barrett in a mid-credits scene in 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which revealed she and Venkman had reunited and were happily living together.
