Idina Menzel feared 'career suicide' with Beaches remake

Singer/actress Idina Menzel initially turned down a leading role in the Beaches remake because she feared the film would be "career suicide".

The Tony Award-winning Frozen star is currently in production on the new TV movie for America's Lifetime network, taking on Bette Midler's iconic role of CC Bloom from the 1988 tearjerker.

The movie has been in development for years, and, in a new interview with Attitude magazine, Idina reveals the producers had been courting her to star in the remake for some time - but she was hesitant to ruin such a beloved movie.

"I said no to doing the film a few times because I love Bette Midler, I love the original movie and I didn't want to set myself up for failure," she says. "I usually like to originate things and not walk in anyone's footsteps. It's hard to make that work."

Ultimately, Idina agreed to portray CC Bloom because she felt the project would be a timeless story of friendship for a whole new generation of viewers.

"There's a generation that's never heard of Beaches and the character of CC is so rich I felt I could bring a different side to her," she explains. "In the context of what our struggles are as women now, there's more to explore, which made me feel OK about potentially attempting career suicide doing it."

Idina will be sharing the screen with Nia Long, who will take on Barbara Hershey's role of Hillary Whitney in the TV film, due out next year (17).

In addition, Idina will sing new versions of Wind Beneath My Wings and The Glory of Love, Bette’s classic songs from the original movie soundtrack.