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https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristenlopez/2019/12/09/carroll-baker-on-not-being-hollywoods-baby-doll-63-years-later/

Carroll Baker On Not Being Hollywood’s ‘Baby Doll’ 63 Years Later

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Actress Carroll Baker attends the "The Adventures of TinTin" New York ... [+]

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Carroll Baker is an actress who has yet to receive her due. One of the last stars to come out of the world of Method acting that birthed legends like James Dean and Marlon Brando, Baker set the world on fire with her performance as ‘Baby Doll’ Meehan in Elia Kazan’s 1956 feature Baby Doll. From there she went on to star in iconic projects like Something Wild (1961) and How the West Was Won (1962). Now, she’s a prominent author living in New York. Her latest book, an Agatha Christie-inspired tome entitled Who Killed Big Al? is on shelves now and excited Baker during our recent phone conversation. Baker is set to return to the role that made her famous, talking about Baby Doll for Film Forum’s upcoming screening on December 11th. Baker sat down prior to the screen to talk about her novel, her career, and how Hollywood couldn’t handle her.

You just published your fourth book! 

Carroll Baker: A friend of mine called me up and said, “I'm never going to have dinner with you again.” I said, “Oh, why?” He said, “I just read your book. You know all kinds of poisons, poison berries and poison. You have poisons dropping off trees.” And I said, “Yes, but that's Agatha Christie. She did all the research and I just copied down all the poisons.”

Well it is an honor to get to talk to you.

Another thing that is important about me is the fact that, for example, a big film like How the West was Won... out of all those wonderful stars I'm the only one alive now that Debbie [Reynolds] is gone. It’s terrible; I don't have any friends.

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One of your first your first films was in an Esther Williams movie [Easy to Love] and I am a huge Esther fan so I was so shocked that I did not know that.

Actually, I kept that secret. That was before I studied acting or anything. I wasn't too bad at it but George Stevens introduced me in Giant (1956) and that was a big thing. So I just simply ignored this [Easy to Love].

Do you remember the the audition process for breaking into Hollywood at that time?

I was very lucky because I was accepted at the Actors Studio. This is when I first wanted to act. So I had taken Lee Strasberg’s private classes and by the way, one of my classmates became very, very famous: Mike Nichols. I don't know why he was in this beginning class because he was so much more advanced than anybody. You could see how funny he was; how talented he was. Some years later, certainly before he passed away, I met him at a party. I felt we were friends. And he said to me, “Have you never wondered why I didn't cast you in any of my films?” My mouth dropped open. I mean, I never followed that. I never thought “Oh, that part would have been good for me.”

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I couldn't say anything. He said to me, “You know why?” I said, “No, Mike Why?” He said, “Because when we were in class together you refused to do a scene with me.” I thought about that afterwards and I know why. He was so advanced and so strong. I knew that if I did a scene with him it would be everything he wanted me to do and I was just learning. I wanted to do things for myself. So I picked a guy in the class who was very weak. I was the one who directed the scenes and told him what to do. I should have told Mike that but I think maybe he he thought I turned him down because of his looks or something.