 Selznick observed that she had shown no enthusiasm for the part until Olivier had been confirmed as the lead actor so he cast Joan Fontaine . He refused to allow her to join Olivier in Pride and Prejudice ( 1940 ) , and Greer Garson played the role Leigh had wanted for herself . Waterloo Bridge ( 1940 ) was to have starred Olivier and Leigh ; however , Selznick replaced Olivier with Robert Taylor , then at the peak of his success as one of Metro @-@ Goldwyn @-@ Mayer 's most popular male stars . Her top billing reflected her status in Hollywood , and the film was popular with audiences and critics . 
