Candice Bergen’s Disguise Was Praised by Her Co-Star—and Punished by Critics

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Candice Bergen’s Disguise Was Praised by Her Co-Star—and Punished by Critics

Candice Bergen in The Domino Principle / 1970s

Candice Bergen deliberately used The Domino Principle to dismantle the polished image audiences associated with her. She wore an intentionally ordinary wig and dowdy clothing to play Ellie Tucker, telling reporters that she wanted, for once, not to look like Candice Bergen and crediting Gene Hackman with helping her take that risk. The experiment quickly turned sour. After the film was released to largely negative reviews and disappeared from theaters after only two or three weeks, Bergen called it terrible, although she still valued the chance to play an ordinary woman. Critics mocked or disparaged the transformation, with one comparison reducing her appearance to that of Shelley Winters. The episode became a particularly bruising example of how an actress could be criticized both for relying on glamour and for abandoning it.