It was revealed on May 21 that Julianna Margulies was not the first choice for The Good Wife and big stars like Helen Hunt and Ashley Judd were being sought out to play the part of the leading lady in the CBS legal drama.

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During a Hollywood Reporter Emmy roundtable of the 'best actress in a drama' contenders, Margulies stated that she was quite "defensive" when offered the role because she was the producers' "sloppy third." Margulies said that Ashley Judd was initially being considered for the part, but after reading the script Judd turned the part down. As if that were not enough, it seems like while the showrunners told Alicia she will still in the running they wanted to run it by Helen Hunt first, and if Hunt was not interested it would be Margulies for the taking.

The Good Wife just wrapped season 5 last week, the finale, titled A Weird Year aired on May 17.

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For fans who haven't come around to catching the finale, here's the synopsis:

"An open feed from a camera mistakenly left on after a teleconferenced deposition between the lawyers of Florrick/Agos and Lockhart/Gardner reveals a threat to the firm that Alicia and Cary never saw coming. Meanwhile, the fate of Lockhart/Gardner hangs in the balance as Louis Canning views for a larger role. Also, Alicia entrusts Zach's high school graduation party to Jackie and Veronica, on the fifth season finale of The Good Wife."

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Watch Margulies at the roundtable here:

Tags: The Good Wife Season 6 CBS