Julianna Margulies: Why I Walked Away From $27 Million
Actress Julianna Margulies is enjoying the success of her hit series "The Good Wife," which is now in its third season. Yet just a few years ago she came to the realization that happiness was more important than any amount of money and turned down an offer of $27 million to continue playing Carol Hathaway on the smash series "ER."
In a new interview with More magazine, Margulies has opened up about her decision to leave the role she created and nurtured for six years. "ER" was in its prime when she chose to leave and walked away from a $27 million contract.
"I'm a smart girl. I had a year's worth of work waiting and a mortgage completely paid at 32. I was under no illusion that I was going to be some big movie star. My dad said, 'If you got hit by a bus tomorrow, were you living your life truthfully, or were you waiting to get rich?'" she said.
"If I died and my soul started leaving my body, would I be looking down going, 'you idiot. You could have gone to Prague, you could have been on Broadway?' Those are the things I wanted to do," Margulies explained.
After leaving "ER," she had a part in the miniseries "The Mists of Avalon," before 2009 presented the opportunity to star as lead character Alicia Florrick on CBS' "The Good Wife."
Margulies has won a Golden Globe, two Screen Actors Guild awards and the Prime Time Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of scorned wife Florrick.
"I get high from it," Margulies says of the role. "Keith (her husband) will say, 'You just worked another 16-hour day!' I'll say, 'I know, but can I tell you who I was working with?' Christine [Baranski], Josh [Charles] and I will have this incredible scene together where literally a pin could drop. Who gets that? It's thrilling."
