The young English actress Vivien Leigh, virtually unknown in America, saw that several English actors, including Ronald Colman and Leslie Howard, were in consideration for the male leads in Gone with the Wind.
In any case, Leigh was cast-despite public protest that the role was too "American" for an English actress-but Leigh was able to pull off the role so well that she eventually won an Academy Award for her performance as Scarlett O'Hara.