Haley Lu Richardson rejected “disturbing” ‘Midsommar’ role
Haley Lu Richardson, the actor famed for her role in season two of White Lotus, revealed that she had been approached for Ari Aster’s popular thriller movie Midsommar. However, she turned the role down because the script was too “disturbing”.
Midsommar arrived on screens in 2019 and became an instant hit thanks to Aster’s unconventional style and the movie’s shocking and gruesome scenes. Speaking to Backstage, Richardson explained that when she was asked to audition for the movie, she had just finished work on M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and fancied a break from “disturbing” projects.
“There are a lot [of roles] that got away. But I did get the script for Midsommar,” Richardson said. “I remember reading it; it was such a well-written, creepy script. I actually still haven’t seen the movie because I kind of can’t bring myself to watch it.”
“They wanted to meet me. I had actually done Split, I think, a year or two before,” she continued. “And I was like, ‘I don’t want to do another disturbing movie right now. I just don’t have it in me – going around and crying at these disturbing things. It wasn’t something that I wanted, and I felt really strongly about that. So I didn’t even take the meeting.
“And, you know, that’s a pretty iconic movie, isn’t it? But I do think that everything happens the way that it’s supposed to. There was a reason I didn’t have it in me. And also, Florence Pugh is just such a good actor.”
Watch the trailer for Midsommar below.
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