Lucy Liu On 'Ally McBeal': I Almost Turned It Down

From her current role as Dr. Joan Watson on "Elementary" to past stints like "Charlie's Angels" and "Cashmere Mafia," Lucy Liu is a big name in Hollywood these days.

But in an interview with Metro, the actress admitted that she almost turned down the role that kickstarted her career: Ling Woo on "Ally McBeal."

"I had auditioned for a more regular role on Ally McBeal and I didn't get it but then they came back a few weeks later with this guest star role and at the same time I was being offered a play," she said. "I wanted to do the play because it was more artistic. But my manager insisted I take 'Ally McBeal.'"

Interestingly enough, Liu initially turned down the part of Watson on "Elementary" (CBS' "Sherlock Holmes" series) as well.

"I said ‘no.’ I passed on it a couple of times," she said, according to the British newspaper The Independent. "I just thought, you know what, to take something that’s a movie that was very recent and a current TV show, I just didn’t know what could be different about it.”

Hey, sometimes playing hard to get is the way to go!

Catch Liu on "Elementary" tonight, Jan. 2 at 10 p.m. EST on CBS.