Sarah Douglas

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors

  1. Olivia Hussey, Romeo and Juliet, UK-Italy, 1967. The first version where the stars were close to the ages of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.  Leonard Whiting and Olivia were 17 and 15. At MGM, circa 1935, Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer were, ridiculously, 43 and 35!  Italian director Franco Zeffirelli saw 500 hopeful Juliets, including Hollywood’s Kim Darby, Anjelica Huston and Bernadette Peters and  the UK’s Jenny Agutter, Angela Cartwright, Sarah Douglas, Pamela Franklin, Susan George, singer Lulu (Phil Collins and Paul McCartney had been seen for Romeo!), Jane Seymour, Madeline Smith, Sally Thomsett and the model Twiggy. He then fell (literally) for the Argentine-born Hussey: “the unrequited love of my life.” Zeffirelli had to obtain permission for the scene as Olivia was 15.  “But in Europe a lot of the films had nudity,” she said. “It wasn’t that big a deal. Leonard wasn’t shy at all! and I just completely forgot I didn’t have clothes on.” And yet, (a) she found herself legally banned from seeing her own nudity in the London premiere as she was under 18 and (b) by 2023, Hussey and Whiting (in their 70s) were suing Paramount for having their “child abuse” nude scenes and causing them suffering all their lives!!! .     Olivia grew up to join the Stars Wars, play the mothers of Jesus and Norman Bates and the life of Mother Teresa.

  2. Christine Hewlett, Tommy, 1974.     This one takes some believing… Then again, as it features Ken Russell, maybe not so much. Douglas revealed rhe story, herself (during her Conan The Destroyer commentary). So… when Douglas turned up to be Lady in Black Beauty Chocolate Commercial, Russell didn’t fancy her hat. Rather than change the hat, he changed the actress!

  3. Joanna Lumley, The New Avengers,TV,1976-1977.    “I really had to fight just to get an audition,” said Lumley. “They just refused to see me!” Wanting more of spy-fi hero John Steed, France and later Canada put £4m into a (short-lived) three-hander reboot of the TV classic. Patrick Macnee’s creaking Steed was now assisted by a younger guy and girl- named (by Lumley) after the Purdey shotgun. Writer-producer Brian Clemens claimed he “seriously considered 700 girls, interviewed 200, read scripts with 40 and screen tested 15” – including Sarah, Gabrielle Drake, Prunella Gee, Lisa Harrow, Barbara Kellerman, Diane Quick. Sarah made two Superman films and Clemens gave her guest shots in his next series, The Professionals and Bergerac – both starring guys seen forSteed’s aide: Lewis Collins and John Nettles.

  4. Meg Foster, Masters of the Universe, 1986. Cannon Films wanted Superman’s wicked Ursa to be Dolph Lundgren’s nemesis, Evil-Lyn. She passed – not difficult as Cannon was speeding towards the toilet. Foster, of the amazing vlue eyes, said her evil one was pure Lady Macbeth.

  5. Maureen Beattie, Doctor Who #253: Last Christmas, 2014.    Douglas was in the Professor Fiona Bellows loop for the 10th Christmas Special.

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  5