Mariel Hemingway, granddaughter to famous writer Ernest Hemingway, turned down the role of Iris in Taxi Driver, which instead went to Jodi Foster. The role was a young teenage prostitute, and would rocket Jodie Foster to dramatic heights from which she has yet to descend. Taxi Driver is not only considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, but it is also considered to be the greatest film of great director Martin Scorcese. If there were any more “greats” associated with this movie it would probably crap Oscars and sneeze Best Director snubs for Scorcese. While Mariel turned down the opportunity to play a teenage prostitute in Taxi Driver, she would accept a similar role as a teenage mistress to Woody Allen in Manhattan three years later. She was nominated for an Oscar, but that’s small consolation when Jodie Foster has since won two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award and even two Emmys. The most recent role you might recognize Mariel Hemingway from is this one episode of Law and Order.
