Trivia / Penelope (1966)

• Creator Backlash: Natalie Wood hated the film so much that right after it released, she bought herself out of her contract with Warner Bros. for $175,000 and fired almost all of her staff of agents, managers and lawyers. She didn't make another film (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice) for three years.
• Fake Nationality: The Scot Ian Bannen as the American banker James Elcott.
• Troubled Production: Natalie Wood later said making the film was difficult for her (it didn't help that she already had two similarly difficult filmings the two years prior, The Great Race and Inside Daisy Clover, including a suicide attempts when the latter was in production).
  Natalie Wood: I broke out in hives and suffered anguish that was very real pain every day we shot. Arthur Hiller, the director, kept saying, "Natalie, I think you're resisting this film", while I rolled around the floor in agony.
• What Could Have Been: Dirk Bogarde turned down the role ultimately played by Ian Bannen.

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