It is not true (as some have claimed) that she was offered only negative or downright repellent characters: on the contrary, there were discussions about her playing more sympathetic roles, which eventually went to Katharine Hepburn, Shirley Booth, Susan Hayward and Deborah Kerr. But at least twice, Joan sabotaged her own best interests when she insisted on her choice of cameraman and wardrobe designer. In fact, she chose off-putting, difficult or negative characters like Lynn Markham in Female on the Beach because—intentionally or not—she wanted to present an aspect of herself that audiences
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