Producer Finola Dwyer can thank Orlando Bloom for the success of "An Education" -- no matter that the actor isn't in the film.
Dwyer, who produced the period dramedy with Amanda Posey, had financiers interested in backing the movie but couldn't close a deal until she attached a "name" to the project. "When Orlando Bloom committed, I used that as leverage to complete the financing," she recalls. "That's the moment the film became real."
Two weeks later, Bloom dropped out, but it didn't matter. Dwyer had structured an arrangement so the moneymen did not have approval over casting. With a start date around the corner, Dwyer and Posey scrambled and found a replacement in Dominic Cooper, who had auditioned for the film and was among the top choices.<snip>