Entertainment Movies Julianne Moore Says She Was 'Fired' from 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' — and Still Hasn't Seen It Julianne Moore says she was fired from the role that eventually got Melissa McCarthy nominated for an Oscar By Helen Murphy Helen Murphy Helen Murphy is a former news writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2020. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 8, 2019 11:10AM EST Turns out even Oscar winners can get the sack. Julianne Moore claims she was “fired” from Melissa McCarthy‘s Oscar-nominated role in Can You Ever Forgive Me?. The actress, 58, made the confession during a new episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that aired on Thursday. Moore was questioned about the film when a caller asked the Still Alice actress why she had left Can You Ever Forgive Me?, as had been previously reported. “I didn’t leave that movie, I was fired,” Moore said. “Yeah, yeah, Nicole [Holofcener, the original director] fired me. So yeah, that’s the truth.” “I think she didn’t like what I was doing,” Moore explained. “I think that her idea of where the character was was different than where my idea of where the character was, and so she fired me.” The movie was originally going to star Moore as real-life literary forger Lee Israel and be directed by Holofcener. The part eventually wound up being given to McCarthy, 48, who was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar earlier this year. Director Marielle Heller also took over for Holofcener, who went on to receive an Oscar nomination for her screenplay. Slaven Vlasic/WireImage; Mary Cybulski/Fox Searchlight Family Affair! Julianne Moore Hits Up Sundance with Her Husband and Their Two Kids Moore said that she had been let go during preproduction, before the movie had begun shooting. When asked if she had seen the movie, Moore said no. “I haven’t yet, ’cause it’s still kind of painful,” she said. “I love Melissa McCarthy, I worship her, I think she’s fantastic, so I’m sure she’s great.” “It’s pretty bad,” the actress added. “The only other time I was fired was when I was working at a yogurt stand when I was 15. So yeah, it felt bad.”RELATED VIDEO: Melissa McCarthy Shares The ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ Scene She Can Never Make It Through In October 2018, IndieWire reported that the movie “fell apart over creative differences” a mere six days before it was supposed to begin production. “I felt I had already made it,” Holofcener told the outlet. “Every outfit, every location, every actor cast. It was a labor of love. It was traumatic. Terrible.” Melissa McCarthy Jokes She’ll Use Her Oscar as a Door Knocker if She Wins Best Actress The film received three Oscar nominations in the end, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Richard E. Grant. Moore can currently be seen starring in Gloria Bell, in theaters now.