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How The Other Actress Landed Her Roles

[National Enquirer] Actress Joan Collins revealed that a 20th Century Fox studio head once told her:

All you have to do is be nice to me, and the best parts in the studio are yours. We’ll see each other a couple of times a week… and you’ll have your pick of scripts.

Joan turned him down flat. But another actress was “nice” to the studio boss – and landed many of the roles Joan had wanted.

Similar: Liars and Deflectors

Studio Head:

The Other Actress:

[Optional] What roles did The Other Actress Land instead of Joan?

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  2. While I have no idea if this is true or not – the quote from Collin’s is made separate from the gossip item – At FOX at the time, and MUCH more successful was Jean Simmons – a very similar “type” who got leading lady roles in much higher profile projects than Collins. Whether this is true or not, there’s no denying Simmons was the bigger star working in higher prestige pictures during that time period.

    • I think Liz is 1000 times more interesting and charismatic than Joan so no loss here. Joan was great but in older years, like Dynasty. Never got her appeal that much young.

  4. Studio Head: Joseph Schenk
    Actress: Marilyn Monroe
    Optional: 7 Year Itch, Bus Stop, The Prince and the Showgirl, Some Like It Hot

  6. Elizabeth Taylor. It had been rumored that Joan was considered for the role of Cleopatra but Liz got it.

  7. Studio Head: Buddy Adler
    The Other Actress: Marilyn Monroe
    Role: There’s No Business Like Show Business 1954.

  9. Had to dig, but not too deep to find this. Joan Collins gave a DM interview naming predators & hinting at others. She screen tested many times for Cleopatra, but turned down advances from Buddy Adler. Liz Taylor, clearly, is the other actress!
    Collins names Richard Burton, Daryl Zanuck, George Peppard, Harry Cohn & more as creeps! Good going, Joan! She was always known as the poor mans Liz Taylor. Unreal.

  10. This is about Elizabeth Taylor, who got the offer to play Cleopatra after Joan turned down the advances from someone in charge of choosing the star. Joan’s often talked about how Liz would get roles originally meant or aimed by her.

  13. Marilyn Monroe?

    Claudette Colbert once said Bette Davis was probably the only actress who succeeded without having to lie on the casting couch.

  18. Studio head: Almost all of them from 20th Century-Fox; Warner Bros etc.,
    Other Actresses: Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe, and maybe more.

    Best guess is many gave in since that was the way to get ahead without being called *frigid ** and black-balled back in the day more easily than today.

  25. Studio Head: Darryl F Zanuck – he liked them young.

    Other Actress: Joan Crawford – Well known for sleeping with studio heads, even though she wasnt a bad actress. Sadly alot of other actresses had to put out to be chosen for the best scripts.

    Joan Collins was orginally slated to play Cleopatra but wanted Elizabeth taylor as first choice, called Elizabeth up and she said she would only do it for 1 million. Elizabeth was a bigger powerhouse already and thats why they gave in to her demand.

    • Im changing my Answer to Buddy Alder since he was the one to let Elizabeth taylor have the movie role since Joan wouldnt sleep with him. Then again all of the studio heads were disgusting.

  29. Actress Grace Kelly
    Director Alfred Hitchcock
    Movies: all Alfred Hitchcock movie roles

  31. Studio head: Harry Cohn?
    Actress who got the roles: Elizabeth Taylor because she looked vey much like Joan when both were young, so if studio boss wanted a “type” and Joan wouldn’t play “nice,” then Liz could fit into that type very nicely. Plus they were around the same age, I believe.
    Movie: That one Liz did with Montgomery Cliff, “Giant”?

  32. Elizabeth Taylor was the biggest movie star in the world during the 50’s and 60’s; she demanded – and received – $1,000,000 for her role in Cleopatra – a huge sum back then. Taylor’s stature at that point in her career was such that she had no need of the casting couch. Collins were never more than a C-list actress until she joined Dynasty in the 80’s. Easy for Collns to accuse Taylor since she’s not around to defend herself. Sounds like jealousy and sour grapes to me.

  33. NOT Elizabeth Taylor! While Taylor made Cleopatra for Fox, she was under contract to MGM, not Fox. Also not Marilyn Monroe, most of whom’s roles would never have been a fit for Collins. This is Jean Simmons – look it up on IMDB. Jean was British, a similar “type” as Collins and was being cast in A list pictures during this period, while Collins was decidedly “B” list.