Stomach Bugged Ryder Bails on Film

While British tabloids initially speculated about a "mystery illness," Ryder's camp insists that a severe "stomach bug" is to blame for her hospitalization over the weekend. She's expected to fully recover but, in the meantime, the 29-year-old actress is dropping out of her lead role in the indie film Lily and the Secret Planting.

Producers for the low-budget flick said Friday they have temporarily suspended production in order to recast Ryder's role. According to a joint statement released by the actress and producers, Ryder's "anticipated recovery period would preclude her continued involvement due to the constraints of the production."

"I am terribly disappointed," Ryder said in a statement. "I fell in love with this script as soon as I read it and was really looking forward to working with [director] Hettie McDonald. I hope to find an opportunity to work with [him] in the future."

Ryder had been set to play the title role of Lily, a woman who finds refuge by working in a secret garden. The romantic comedy costars Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal as the assistant of a local nursery owner.

But sources close to Ryder's camp say the actress started having severe stomach pains last week while on the set of Lily, leading her to spend the weekend in a London hospital. During the week, she remained holed up in a hotel while set doctors and specialists checked her out, determining that she was suffering from a severe "gastroenterological disorder" (in other words, a bad stomach bug). She's expected to return home to the States early next week.

Meanwhile, the search is on for a replacement. British tabloid The Sun claims producers are already eyeing Kate Winslet for the part. But producers offered no further comment on the matter Friday.

This isn't the first time Ryder's been sidelined by illness. The actress, whose credits include Reality Bites and Beetlejuice, backed out of The Godfather, Part III in 1990 for what was then reported as a respiratory infection. But while promoting her 1999 film, Girl, Interrupted, Ryder revealed that she actually had been suffering from anxiety attacks, leading her to voluntarily check herself into a mental hospital. The part later went to Francis Ford Coppola's daughter Sofia.

Earlier this year, Ryder also broke her arm during a fall on the set of the film Deeds, a remake of 1936's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, costarring Adam Sandler.

found at yahoo news