Comedienne Janeane Garofalo lost the chance to star alongside Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile when she burst into tears during the audition read through with the Pretty Woman star. The Truth About Cats + Dogs star was among the actresses considered for the role of etiquette professor Nancy Abbey in the film, but she lost her cool when movie star Roberts agreed to read with her. Garofalo tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, "She even took the time to give me a pep talk. She's Julia Roberts - she doesn't have to read with anyone. "It was so much pressure that I burst into tears and wept at the reading. I was overcome with the feeling that I was going to let her down. "The director told my agent, 'That's one of the worst auditions I have ever seen.'" The role was eventually given to Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden.