The Actor Who Almost Played Julia Child's Husband In HBO's Julia

The first three episodes of HBO Max's drama series "Julia" hit the streaming platform on March 31 (new episodes premiere every Thursday), and according to Variety, it's a glimpse into the life of Julia Child like you've never seen before. The series, which is inspired by the renowned chef, is essentially a show within a show. It follows Child (played by Sarah Lancashire) as she fights tooth and nail for her own cooking show on the major network WGBH, and her journey to culinary entertainment stardom once "The French Chef" takes off (via YouTube). "Julia" also touches on feminism in 1960s America and explores Child's beautiful marriage to Paul Child, who is portrayed by actor David Hyde Pierce.

Fans just tuning into the series may be surprised to hear that Price wasn't first in line for the role. In March 2020, Deadline announced that "Bird Box" actor Tom Hollander had officially joined the "Julia" cast list and would be assuming the role of Paul. Six months later, however, Deadline reported that Price would be taking Hollander's place after COVID-19 caused a big delay in production. Allegedly, a recasting was necessary due to conflicts in Hollander's schedule. Plus, mid-pandemic international travel posed an issue for him. Hollander resides in the UK, but filming was happening in Boston.

Tom Hollander has been working in TV and film for well over 20 years (via IMDb). The British actor is notably known for his stellar performances as Jim Beach in "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Pride and Prejudice"'s Mr. Collins. HBO's biographical drama series "Julia" was expected to be another big resume booster for Hollander. But, and as many of his fellow actors can likely relate, COVID-19 had different plans. So, what else was Hollander working on that led to a scheduling conflict?

In December 2020, Deadline reported that "Bohemian Rhapsody" costars Hollander and Lucy Boynton (Mary) would be reuniting for ITV's new period spy TV series, "The Ipcress File." The headline came just three months after the outlet announced Hollander's recasting on "Julia." It's unclear whether this was the scheduling conflict Hollander was referring to. However, "The Ipcress File" was set to film in Liverpool and Croatia, obviously leaving the actor nowhere near Boston. He also starred in the 2021 action-adventure film "The King's Men" and did voiceover work for "American Dad." As far as new projects go, Hollander has been tapped to star in season two of HBO's "The White Lotus," per The Hollywood Reporter. His British character's name is Quentin and he will be visiting the resort alongside his friends and nephew. A premiere date has yet to be set.