Movie star Annette Bening has pulled out of her first performance on the Broadway stage for 20 years, citing "personal reasons". The American Beauty actress was to have played a feminist writer suffering from writer's block in director Michael Mayer's play The Female Of The Species.But the 49-year-old has now dropped out of both the production's February (08) premiere at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse and its subsequent New York run, scheduled to open in April (08).It is unclear whether Bening's withdrawal will have any affect on her upcoming role opposite Bette Midler, Carrie Fisher, Meg Ryan, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Eva Mendes and Candice Bergen in movie remake The Women.In 1988 the actress made her debut in The Great Outdoors with Dan Aykroyd and then in Valmont with Colin Firth.She won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1990 film The Grifters but it was to be her part in American Beauty that was to be her highest profile role.The role in Sam Mendes' debut film won her a second Academy Award nomination this time for Best Actress. Her third nomination was un 2004 for her lead role in Being Julia. She is yet to pick up the award.

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