Debra Winger Just Shared Her Unfiltered Thoughts About Madonna

In 1992 acclaimed actress Debra Winger shockingly dropped out of A League of Their Own. The star had just spent three grueling months training with the Chicago Cubs so that she could convince audiences in the role of a woman baseball player. Then, all of a sudden, she quit the film. She never publicly explained why, either... until now. And when Winger revealed the stunning story, superstar singer Madonna did not come out of it looking good.

Play ball

Winger had been penciled in to take the part of Dottie in A League of Their Own, which was directed by Penny Marshall. In the end, though, Geena Davis filled the role. The character had its inspiration in Dorothy “Kammie” Kamenshek, who really did play for a women’s baseball team many years ago. But Winger didn’t have a bad word to say about Davis.

No love lost

Not that that would have been too surprising. Winger is somewhat prone to feuding with her costars, after all. She famously fell out with Shirley MacLaine when making Terms of Endearment, the 1983 hit. The love they showed one another in the movie was definitely not echoed in real life! Some of Winger’s behavior showed genuine contempt for her fellow star, too.

Grinding Gere

And a year before Terms of Endearment, Winger had experienced an uncomfortable few months making An Officer and a Gentleman. She didn’t like co-star Richard Gere one bit, labeling him a “brick wall.” She liked director Taylor Hackford even less – naming him an “animal.” The star has even acknowledged she had a reputation as “difficult.” But she insisted that was not why she quit A League of Their Own.

Humble beginning

Mind you, the actress had come a long way from her days as a part-time worker in an amusement park. That job had ended when an accident left her blinded for a few months. She decided carny life was not for her and instead set her sights on show business, where she eventually found herself in minor roles and on one occasion in a more, shall we say, adult film.