Oi, Scorsese – No!

Yorkshire-born actor Pete Postlethwaite this week explains why he's turned down two of Hollywood's finest directors due to family commitments. In an interview with TV Times, the actor explains that when Steven Spielberg asked him to screen-test for Jurassic Park 2 he had to decline because he'd just become a father for the second time. What's particularly jammy is that Spielberg then turned around and offered Postlethwaite the part without a test. Perhaps Pete's hoping that Martin Scorsese will do the same. Pete also turned down the opportunity to appear in the director's latest project Gangs of New York which is currently filming in Italy. 'I wouldn't have been able to spend time with my family before starting work on it,' he explains. 'But yes, I wrestled with the decision, it seemed impossible to turn down. The script's great - Gormenghast on acid... Plus Scorsese is one of my favourite directors, for God's sake.'