- Jean Seberg, Saint Joan, 1957.The tyrannical producer-director Otto Preminger considered three Italians for the young Maid of Orleans, Lucia Bose, Sophia Loren and… only Claudia was the right age, 19. Then again, he also thought about Ursula Andress and… and… Mamie Van Doren!
- Zina Bouzaïane, Goha, France-Tunisia, 1958. Omar Sharif and realisateur Jacques Baratier came a-calling but the Tunisian co-producers refused an Italian, even the winner of The Most Beautiful Italian beauty contest. They all loved the beauty, born Claude (a BB fan she called herself CC) and made her into Zina’s sister.
- Elsa Martinelli, Hatari! 1961. For the typical Howard Hawks lady in the safari pack, the director wanted a Jean Harlow-Red-Dust type opposite John Wayne. .Then The Silver Fox went Italian: Claudia Cardinale or his agent CharlesFeldman’s client. (CC got Duke Wayne two years later in Circus World).
- Yori Bertin, La dame aux camélias, France, TV, 1962. There was a lot of buzz about a new Marguerite Gauthier in the early 60s. The producing Hakim brothers had French cinema ikon Marcel Carné extremely keen on adapting the book rather than the play. La Cardinale declined, ruining a co-production deal with Rome. Jeanne Moreau was suggested. Then, Fox legend Darryl Zanuck even decided it was perfect for his latest Paris mistress. who was to acting what Rocky was to musicals. Finally, the ’62 Marguerite was for TV. As was the next, 1972 version with Ludmilla Tchérina.
- Kathleen Breck, West 11, 1963. Starting life as The Furnished Room, it became the bete noir of London producer Danny Angel. He thought the story “horrible “when Joe Losey voted Cardinale-TerenceStamp – and late refused Michael Winner’s original cast of the stars sought for the first 007 project. They were, said Angel, B-movie types. They were… Sean Connery and Julie Christie! (Winner loved telling that story).
- Michèle Mercier, Angéliqu, Marquise des Anges, France, 1964. First of the five-costume-film series, still adored by the French in annual TV re-runs. Also in the frame: Virna Lisi, Monica Vitti – and all of Roger Vadim’s wives or lovers – Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Jane Fonda, Annette Stroyberg.
- Senta Berger, Poppies Are Also Flowers, 1966. UK director Terence Young had some 20 top stars in this UN thriller – from Omar Sharif to Princess Grace. Just not many of those he had outlined for me at Pinewood studios in 1965.
- Anjanette Comer, The Appaloosa(UK: Southwest To Sonora), 1966. She gave up Marlon Brando for a far better Western, The Professionals.
- Raquel Welch, The Three/Four Musketeers, 1974/1975. 3M as they called it, was in production in Spain and Raquel was not. Having signed in 1973 – and her named greatly helped raise the pre-production money – she pulled out and was nearly substituted as Spike Milligan’s wife, Madame Bonancieux, until an 11th hour deal about script, costumes… and final cut of her scenes!
- Jennifer O’Neill, L’Innocente, France-Italy, 1975. She missed a fourth film for maestro Luchino Visconti – he didn’t want to take sides after she split from producer Franco Cristaldi. This proved to be Visconti’s finale. He called her Claudine; Fellini preferred Claudina.
- Tuesday Weld, Once Upon A Time In America, Italy-USA,1982. Italian maestro Sergio Leone claimed he interviewed “over 3,000 actors” and taped 500 auditions for the 110 speaking roles in his New York gangster epic. He certainly saw four for James Woods’ moll, Carol, including Julie Andrews, Kay Lenz and Claudia Cardinale – the sole female star of his far better epic, Once Upon a Time in the West, who must have been surprised not to be among the 33 girls he saw for Robert De Niro’s nymphet, Deborah.
- Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County, 1995. Also short-listed for author Robert Waller’s Italian war bride Francesca were: Jacqueline Bisset, Catherine Deneuve, Jessica Lange, Sophia Loren, Isabella Rossellini, Susan Sarandon. After tentative efforts by directors Bruce Beresford, Mike Newell, Sydney Pollack and the mighty Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood took over the helm. And the casting. In a trice.
- Isabelle Huppert, Saint-Cyr, France, 2000. Realistrice Patricia Mazuy first voted for Claudia, a better age than Huppert for Madame de Maintenon.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 13