There are some roles that truly seemmade for certain actors.
Nowhere is this notion more prevalent thanBette Davisas Margo Channing inAll About Eve.
For a film released in 1950, the story handles ageism and jealousy with a beautiful delicacy.
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Butit avoids the frustrating tropes that plague many of these films, often falling into with Margo.
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However, the part was actually given to another classic actress.
Image via 20th Century Fox
With the film now in jeopardy, Mankiewicz had to find a replacement.
Luckily for him, Davis was also an actress without a studio.
Davis had been a cornerstone of Warner Brothers for years.
Image via 20th Century Fox
However,upon leaving Warner Brothers, the actress found her career as a free agent stalling out.
Finally, she got a call that would turn everything around.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter,Davis and Zanuck had not been on speaking terms since 1941.
A seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.
Davis had formerly been appointed president of the Motion Picture Academy, with Zanuck heavily behind her.
Ironically, many of thosechanges would come to fruition after her reign.
But Davis, frustrated, decided to step down, which upset Zanuck.
When he called her to offer him the role, Davis thought it was a prank call.
However, once cameras started to roll, everyone was surprised by the experience.
Manckiewicz was pleasantly astonished by how agreeable Davis was on set.
Davis admired his directing and admired the script too much to make changes.
She reportedly enjoyed working with costar Anne Baxter, with the two even forming a lifelong friendship.
The performance, of course, speaks for itself.
It is trulyone of the finest of Davis careerand is a marvel by all meaningful metrics.
She may not have been anyones first choice, but she was therightone.
