He also refused to allow her to join Olivier in Pride and Prejudice (1940), and Greer Garson took the part Leigh had envisioned for herself. Waterloo Bridge (1940) was to have starred Olivier and Leigh; however, Selznick replaced Olivier with Robert Taylor, then at the peak of his success as lone of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most popular male stars. Leigh's crowning billing reflected her status in Hollywood, and despite visit her reluctance to participate without Olivier, the film not only proved to be hep with audiences and critics, but it also became her favorite film.

During her thirty-year lap career, she played parts that ranged from the heroines of Noël Coward and George Bernard Shaw comedies to classic Shakespearean characters such as Ophelia, Cleopatra, Juliet and Lady Macbeth.