Jean Peters

Scudda Hay! (1948), but it was eventually decided she was not suitable.

Following her rejection for Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!, Peters was selected to replace Linda Darnell as the female lead in Captain from Castile (1947) opposite Tyrone Power, when Darnell was reassigned to save the production of Forever Amber. Although she had not made her screen debut by this time, Peters was highly publicized and received a star treatment while filming took place. Captain from Castile was a hit, and Leonard Maltin wrote that afterwards Peters spent the new decade playing "sexy spitfires, often in period dramas and Westerns." She was offered a similar role in the western Yellow Sky (1948), but she refused the part, explaining it was "too sexy". As a result, the studio, frustrated by her stubbornness, put her on her first suspension. Read Less

For the role, she offered to bleach her hair, but this was overruled by the studio. Although the film became a success, most of the publicity went to Milland. Afterwards, she starred alongside Paul Douglas in the period film Love That Brute (1950), for which she had to wear a dress in which she was unable to sit. Read Less

Monroe, he said, was too innocent looking for the role. Shelley Winters and Betty Grable had previously been considered for the role, but both had turned it down. Because of the sex symbol status of her character, Peters was not thrilled with taking on the role. She preferred playing more down to earth, unglamorous parts as she had done with Anne of the Indies (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952) and Lure of the Wilderness (1952).

For Pickup on South Street, Peters was advised to bleach her hair for the role, but she refused to do so, as she wished to avoid comparisons with Winters and Grable. She did, however, agree to adopt a "sexy shuffle" for the role. To further understand the role of a siren, she was helped by Marilyn Monroe. Peters later confessed she liked making the film, but announced in an interview she was not willing to take on other siren roles. She was quoted saying: "on South Street was fine for my career, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put on a tight sweater and skirt and slither around. I'm just not the type. On Marilyn Monroe it looks good. On me it would look silly." In another interview, Peters explained that playing down-to-earth and sometimes unwashed women have the most to offer in the way of drama. She said: Read Less