CAMERON DIAZ IS THE BOSS
If Cameron Diaz has her way, Shrek 3 will go the way of Diaz’ waning sex appeal. Rumor has it that, when casually asked if she had any suggestions as to who might voice King Arthur in the film, Diaz made a push for boyfriend Justin Timberlake and DreamWorks somehow felt that the success of the film hinged on this shameless act of cronyism.
“The problem is that the plot of the movie basically rides on the back of this Artie character [the young King Arthur], and DreamWorks was having a helluva time casting it, trying to find the right young actor with the right voice,” says a source close to the studio. “But after they made the mistake of mentioning it to Cameron, they were backed into a corner. They needed her, so to keep her happy, they had to go with Justin. But when he came in to record he was just awful. Every other time they’ve brought on a new character—like Antonio Banderas or Rupert Everett—they’ve added to the mix. Timberlake is just a liability.”
We’re told the Shrek team’s frustration came to a head at a story meeting about three weeks ago. “They were working off the boards and had Justin come in to do preliminary vocals, and he’s just not a voice actor,” says the source. At one point, DreamWorks animation czar Jeffrey Katzenberg even joked that “he would give $10,000 to any employee who could make Justin and Cameron split up,” the source says. “As long as she’s dating Justin, he’s in the movie.”
Joey Fatone could not be reached for comment. Shrek 3 would gross $300 million if Charlie Chaplin voiced one of the main characters, so I don’t see how much difference this makes in the film. If DreamWorks really doesn’t want JT involved in this project they should have the balls to say so. Diaz will not make or break this project, so if she walks she could very easily be replaced by a hundred other actresses who aren’t beginning to have a striking resemblence to the ogre Fiona.
Here are some shots from a photoshoot with Diaz when she was still hot, many many moons ago.
November 1st, 2005 TG