Evening star., 1945-02-18
Ingrid Keeps Career Under Control
By Sheilah Graham
HOLLYWOOD.

Here they usually give you the
award next year for the per-
formance you gave last year. So
don't be too surprised If Ingrid
Bergman receives an oscar" in
March for her performance in Gas
light only it will really be for the
way she played Maria in For
Whom the Bell Tolls" the year pre-
viously I called on Ingrid to find
out how she felt about prize winning
and how she had risen to her pres
ent spot in pictures.
THE great thing about the Acad-
emy Awards" says Miss Bergman,
'is to be nominated-to be conSid-
cred among the first five actresses
in Hollywood for the best acting
performance of the year. I didn't
mind losing it last year to Jennifer
Jones, but, of course, I don't want
to go through my whole life and
not win it."
You won't, Ingrid. I'd say you are
cinch for the award this year. The
competition is: Claudette Colbert
in Since You Went Away Greer
Carson in Mrs. Parkington," Bar
bara Stanwyck in Double In
demnity" and Bette Davis in ''Mr.
Skeffington."
Had Selznick's Backing.
I remember when Ingrid came
here for "Intermezzo," seven years
ago. They were worried sick about
her in the Selznick studio. Her face
was too wide, they said her eye
brows too thick, and her English not
very good. l remind the beautiful
Swedish actress of this during our
talk and she laughs and says feel
ingly, II remember. too. I have to
thank David Selznick for supporting
me when they wanted to change
everything on my face, even the two
lines on each side of my mouth.
They wanted to take out the char
acter and make me look like every
one else. It's SO funny" and she
| laughs again, but in 'Spellbound,
where I play sophisticated woman
psychiatrist, thought it would look
better for the part if thinned my
eyebrows. When Mr.. Selznick saw
me, he screamed that I'd ruined my
personality! When I think OF the
| fight I had with every one to keep
my eyebrows thick at the begin
ning!"
Ingrid has been clever about her
self and about her career. Every
role with the exception of her first
two has been different. She was a
governess in "Intermezzo," also in
Adam Had -Four Sons" This was
where Ingrid decided that variety
was the spice of a picture career.
She was a refugee-the sweet type
in Rage in Heaven" and won
Robert Montgomery.
She Chose Wicked Role.
| Then Metro wanted her to be the
sweet girl in 'Dr. Jekyn and Mr..
Hyde" Ingrid said No but she
would like TO play the bad girl. And
that's how Lana Turner was good
and Ingrid bad. Then came COM
pletely different sort of romance
with Humphrey Bogart in Casa
blanca" She was 16 with close cut
curls in For Whom the Bell Tolls. "
In Saratoga Trunk" Ingrid wore
black wig and was naughty in a
winsome way. In "Gasllght' she
almost went insane.
In "Spellbound," Ingrid co-stars
with Gregory Peck. The chief
scenes take place in a sanatorium
for the mentally deranged. There S
a murder, and Ingrid gets the man
who did it. She is working now as
nun in ''The Bells of ST. Mary's' u
I've always wanted to appear in
a religious picture" Ingrid tells me,
long before they made Song of
Bernadette' This will be the first
time that l haven't had romance
in a film. Bing Crosby plays a
priest. I look after the parochial