- Sandra Bullock, who plays political strategist "Calamity" Jane Bodine in her upcoming film Our Brand Is Crisis, recently admitted that she actively searched for male roles: "Initially, it was written with Clooney in mind. About two-and-a-half years ago I just put out the feelers saying, 'I'm not reading anything I'm excited about. Are there any male roles out there that [the filmmakers] don't mind switching to female?'"
- Clooney and Grant Heslov (his producing partner) were quick to jump to the idea
- On her upcoming role: "[The character is] basically a female Karl Rove. She's brilliant at the devious side of politics. All she cares about is winning. You don't get to read roles like this a lot. There's a lot of unforgivable things that she does, yet somehow you have to cheer for her."
- In 2013, Alfonso Cuarón said he defended Sandra Bullock's lead role as a medical engineer in Gravity after receiving pressure for a male lead
- Other actresses who have played characters that were written with men in mind include Angelina Jolie (Salt), Jodie Foster (Flightplan), Jane Lynch (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), and Sigourney Weaver (Alien)
Source 1, 2