Veteran movie star Faye Dunaway regrets signing on to play Joan Crawford in 1981 classic Mommie Dearest, because the role gave film fans the “wrong impression” of her.
The film, in which the actress chilled as an abusive mum, was a huge hit but Faye insists if she could turn back time she would have passed on the role.
“I think it turned my career in a direction where people would irretrievably have the wrong impression of me – and that’s an awful hard thing to beat,” Dunaway explains in a rare interview with People. “I should have known better, but sometimes you’re vulnerable and you don’t realise what you’re getting into.”
The film, based on the 1978 autobiography written by Crawford’s adopted daughter, Christina, was a hit at the box office, even though the critics hated it.
“It’s unfortunate they feel they had make this kind of movie,” she adds. “But you can’t be ashamed of the work you’ve done. You make a decision, and then you have to live with the consequences.”
Now, Jessica Lange will take on the role of Crawford in director Ryan Murphy’s new TV series Feud, which chronicles the movie icon’s love/hate relationship with her Whatever Happened to Baby Jane co-star Bette Davis. Susan Sarandon will portray Davis in the star-studded project.
