Chicken Run’s Julia dropped from sequel as her voice is now ‘too old’
JULIA Sawalha is ‘furious and devastated’ after she was axed from the sequel to Chicken Run for ‘sounding too old’.
Now 51, she was the voice of main character Ginger in the original hit animation in 2000, but has been told the role is being recast with a younger actress.
The Absolutely Fabulous star accused the filmmakers of ageism and said she was not even offered a voice test to prove herself.
‘I have officially been stuffed, plucked and roasted,’ she said on Twitter.
She added in an open letter attached to her tweet: ‘Last week I was informed out of the blue, via email, through my agent that I would not be cast as Ginger in the Chicken Run sequel.
‘The reason they gave is that my voice now sounds “too old” and they want a younger actress to reprise the role.
‘Usually, in these circumstances, an actress would be given the chance to do a voice test in order to determine the suitability of the pitch and tone. I, however, was not given this opportunity.’
Ms Sawalha shared her own ‘screen test’ in which she alternates clips from the original film with her reading the same lines now. It shows that her voice has barely changed, but film bosses have not been swayed.
She continued: ‘I feel I have been unfairly dismissed. To say I am devastated and furious would be an understatement. I feel totally powerless.
‘I responded by wishing the production the best of luck and the greatest success with the sequel. There is nothing more I can do.’
Fans angry at the decision launched a change.org petition demanding a rethink.
The original cast included Mel Gibson, Timothy Spall and Imelda Staunton, but Ms Sawalha’s Ginger stole the show as she led the mission to escape Mrs Tweedy’s farm before the chickens were all made into pies.
The sequel will be made by Netflix next year. Mel Gibson is said not to be involved but there is no word on the other cast.