 |
[In 1959], when I began modeling to earn money for acting classes and to pay the rent, I was easily able to get prescriptions [for Dexedrine] from an infamous New York "diet" doctor along with diuretics to rid myself of swelling-inducing fluids. The Dexedrine made me hyper and emotional, and I began to feel that without it I couldn't act.
In the decades that followed, there were years when I was actively bulimic and periods when the bulimia would be replaced by anorexia. ...
Screen-testing at Warner Brothers as an ingenue, Fonda was shocked when word came down from Jack Warner, who had seen the tests in his private projection room, that I must wear falsies. At the same time that he notified me of Mr. Warner's demand [director] Josh [Logan] suggested that after the filming I might consider having my jaw broken and reset and my back teeth pulled to create a more chiseled look, the sunken cheekbones that were the hallmarks of Suzy Parker.
"Of course," said Josh, touching my chin and turning me to profile, "you'll never be a dramatic actress with that nose, too cute for drama."
