UK actor Pete Postlethwaite has said he turned down a dream part in the film Gangs of New York because actors were offered "reduced wages".
Postlethwaite says he was offered the chance to work with director Martin Scorsese on the Oscar-nominated epic.

But he told an Australian newspaper he was put off after discovering that producers had convinced the cast to work for less pay.

Postlethwaite - himself Oscar-nominated for his role in The Name of the Father - said the explanation given was "because everyone wants to work with Martin Scorsese".

He told The Australian: "It was the biggest dream of my life to work with him (Scorsese), but I thought it was a bit of a scam. Oh well."

Miramax, which produced Scorsese's film, was not immediately available to comment.

Postlethwaite, who has appeared in Romeo and Juliet, The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off, is also known for his TV drama roles in series such as the BBC's The Sins.

He is currently touring Australia in his one-man show, Scaramouche Jones, in which he plays an ancient clown who recounts his life on the eve of the millennium.

He is also shooting a cameo role alongside Paul Hogan in Australian film Strange Bedfellows.

Source: Press Release