Actor Reese Witherspoon recently opened up about why director David Fincher decided against casting her as the lead in his much-acclaimed 2014 film Gone Girl. She spoke up about the film while it was in development. At the time, Witherspoon had been attached to star in the adaptation as Amy Elliott Dunne, receiving approval from author Gillian Flynn and shepherding the project through her production company. But things changed when David Fincher entered the project.

She revealed how David sat her down an said she's "totally wrong for this part". "He told me, 'I'm not putting you in it'. I had all these conversations with the writer Gillian Flynn, and she was like, 'No, I’d really like you to do it.'... But [Fincher] was like, 'You're wrong'," she told during the Las Culturistas podcast.

The thriller, which also stars Ben Affleck, proved a breakthrough for Pike, who scored her first Academy Award nomination for the film, landing a nod for best actress. It was also a major box office hit, earning $369 million worldwide.

Witherspoon said it was an "ego check" for her, but realised the Seven director was right. "It was like, 'No, you’re not right for everything.' And he was right. He was totally right. Fincher just killed it. And Rosamund Pike is so diabolical and Ben Affleck is sort of the rube on the other side of it."

Despite losing out on the lead role in Gone Girl, she earned a best actress Oscar nomination that same year for her role in Wild, helmed by Jean-Marc Vallée. She produced both Gone Girl and Wild. Now, she is starring in the fourth season of The Morning Show.