Margot Kidder

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. Candy Clark, Fat City, 1972.  For his first film in America for a full decade, John Huston chose Leonard Gardner’s 1969 novel about skidrow boxers, losers and winners (is there a difference?).  Jeff Bridges (recommended to old John  by brother Beau) had a girl and she is pregnant – well portrayed by Candy Clark, having  KOed Margot Kidder and Jennifer Salt, for the gig. Jennifer followed Kidder at the auditions – “same dress, moist armpits.”  They set up  home together, very 70s, sex,drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,  where  “Margie” slept  with almost every male until falling “passionately in heat” with Brian De Palma and, famously, “making it anywhere and everywhere.”  The perfect Lois Lane…
  2. Sissy Spacek, Carrie, 1976.   
  3. Carrie Fisher, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, 1976.

  4. Linda Hamilton, The Terminator, 1983.     
    In all, 55 actresses were considered, seen or tested for Sarah Connor (aged 18; Linda was 27) opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger. James Cameron auteured Sarah for Bridget Fonda. She passed; so did Tatum O’Neal.       He decided to go older… and Glenn Close won – her schedule didn’t agree. OK, Kate Capshaw! No, she was tied to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – and Kathleen Turner was Romancing The Stone. Debra Winger won her audition, said yes… then no.   The other 48 ladies were The ’80s Group: Kidder, Rosanna Arquette, Kim Basinger, Christy Brinkley, Colleen Camp, Jamie Lee Curtis, Geena Davis, Judy Davis, Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Jodie Foster, Teri Garr, Jennifer Grey, Melanie Griffith, Darryl Hannah, Barbara Hershey, Anjelica Huston, Amy Irving, Diane Keaton, Diane Lane, Jessica Lange, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kay Lenz, Heather Locklear, Lori Loughlin, Kelly McGillis, Kristy McNichol, Michelle Pfeiffer, Deborah Raffin, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, Ally Sheedy, Cybill Shepherd, Brooke Shields, Sissy Spacek, Sharon Stone, Lea Thompson, Sigourney Weaver… one aerobics queen, Bess Motta (she became Sarah’s room-mate, Ginger Ventura), two singers (Madonna, Liza Minnelli), two Brits (Miranda Richardson, Jane Seymour), five essentially funny girls, Goldie Hawn, Rhea Perlman (Mrs Danny De Vito), Gilda Radner, Mary Tyler Moore… plus the new MTM, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, then from Saturday Night Live. Most were in contention again a few years later for Fatal Attraction (won by Close) and The Accused (going to Foster and McGillis). Ten years later (after T2), Linda gave birth to Cameron’s daughter and Josephine’s parents wed in 1997… for two years.

  5. Jane Seymour, Smallville, TV, 2004-2005.      The Season Four plan was to welcome Kidder back to the DC – but as the villain this time: Bridgette Crosby. However, when her Superman, co-star, the now paralysed Christopher Reeve, died in October 2004, the suits  decided to have his role of Dr Virgil Swann die as well. Kidder walked after her first two episodes, feeling the studio was capitalising on her friend’s death.  Bridgette was swiftly re-spun as Genevieve Teague for Seymour.

  6. Andrea Martin, Black Christmas, 2006.     In homage to the 1974 horror film, The X Files producer turned director Glen Morgan asked Kidder and Martin (who’d both been in the original) to play the soriety house mother.Martin was surprised. “I haven’t thought of Black Christmas for 32 years!”   Kidder committed suicide in 2018.

 

 

 

 

 Birth year: 1948Death year: 2018Other name: Casting Calls:  6