Carey Mulligan Grabs ‘Great Gatsby’ Part

%photo1% Carey Mulligan may actually be entering her second act: She will play the iconic role of Daisy Buchanan, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, in Baz Luhrmann's remake of the literary classic "The Great Gatsby."

The 25-year-old screen star of "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" beat out major some major contenders: Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively, Amanda Seyfried, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Michelle Williams, and Rebecca Hall all competed for the choice part.

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But it was the Oscar-nominated British actress who won the right to play Gatsby's seducer. Tobey Maguire will play the narrator of the Jazz Age tale, Nick Carraway.

How Carey Mulligan heard she'd won the most-wanted role in Hollywood was a mini-drama itself. Mulligan was on the carpet for the Fashion Council Awards in New York when she picked up a call from the director. Apparently when she answered she heard three glorious words: "Hello, Daisy Buchanan."

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The actress could be excused for promptly bursting into tears in front of fashion legends Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour.

Carey Mulligan is a relative newcomer compared to the field of Hollywood elite she beat out for the role. In the last two years she starred in four out of five films, and was nominated for her part in "An Education." We're guessing she'll be a household name soon enough.

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Watch Carey Mulligan in the trailer for "Never Let Me Go":

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