Shocker: In ’2001: A Space Odyssey,’ Rosie the Robot Maid Originally Slated for HAL’s Role

rosieHOLLYWOOD - Recently discovered letters between director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke reveal that Rosie the Robot Maid, the delightful humanoid robot fictional character in the sci-fi comedy classic The Jetsons, was Kubrick’s first choice to play the role that eventually went to HAL 9000.

The day Kubrick casted Rosie, he gushed to Clarke: ”In her I see more courage and wit and heart than ever came together in one gal.”

But Rosie didn’t last a week into shooting. She refused to come out of her trailer after claiming that the words of the song she was supposed to sing during her character’s breakdown — “Daisy, Daisy/Give me your answer do/I’m half crazy/all for the love of you” — was not written in her “voice.”  Kubrick fired her on the spot.

Kubrick’s second choice, the robot from Lost in Space, was then tied up in a controversial palimony suit with Will Robinson, and Arthur C. Clarke thought it would be “bad for business” to give him the role.  The HAL 9000 was Kubrick’s third choice.

May 28