- Martine Kelly, Les grandes vacances (US: The Exchange Student),France-Italy, 1967. See Sue was lucky slose this dull “comedy” designed for the stutter-mutter-nutter Louis De Funes- as his (real) son falls for the English girl staying with the family to improve her French.Linda Hayden also tested. (As they both did for Candy). Shirley went to the Paris-born Kelly.
- 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.
- Ewa Aulin, Candy, 1969.
- Olivia Newton-John, Toomorrow, 1970. Or, The Monkees Part Two… Monkee man Don Kirshner invented another band. For movies, this time. Or, a movie. (About being kidnapped by aliens!). He signed up Karl Chambers, Vic Cooper, Ben Thomas and nearly Ben’s girlfriend, Sue, when checks were made about the young Aussie singer. “The film was a disgrace,” said Olivia’s lover, Bruce Welch, of The Shadows band. “There were no hit songs – the numbers were naive and instantly forgettable.” Exactly like Chambers, Cooper and Thomas. None of them made a second movie.
- Janet Lynn, Cool It Carol, 1970.
The Bardotesque sweet Sue was The Girl of the Hour… Just more used to working with Charles Bronson, James Mason, even Michael York, than with the UK schlocker Pete Walker. Or maybe she guessed the US title would be… The Dirtiest Girl I Ever Met. (Paradoxically, she accepted Walker’s Die Screaming Marianne right after her Sam Peckinpah- Dustin Hoffman exploit, Straw Dogs, 1971). Walker selected Lynn from among 40 hopefuls and introduced her to the London media… taking a shower in the Washington Hotel (in a bikini). And so, Sue never had to answer her screen father’s question – the line of the year, cited by every critic in their otherwise miniscule reviews: “Is your maidenhead intact?” - Jennifer O’Neill, Lady Ice, 1973. Apparently George Lucas was among the many asked to helm this thriller. As if he’d know how to use women.
- Maria Schneider, Professione: reporter (UK: The Passenger, 1975. When Schneider pulled out (as she was doing all the time after Last Tango in Paris), Sue arrived on the Spanish locations. And Maria promptly turned up for work again. Works every time!
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 7