When James Stewart saved his co-star Kim Novak from embarrassment: “Thank God”
There was an understated calm to James Stewart that he brought to most of his roles and endeared him to millions as the gentleman of Hollywood.
He was one of the most adored movie actors of the 1950s and quickly became one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Renowned for being easy to work with and able to capture the essence of a role without much worry, Stewart became a must for anybody trying to make a quality picture. On set, he became a beacon for those on the cast and crew.
Working on a Hollywood set has never been a calm experience, and for his co-star, Kim Novak, Stewart was an anchor of calm amid a stormy sea on the set of Vertigo. Alfred Hitchcock was famously difficult with his female stars, and Novak suffered greatly. That’s probably putting it lightly, really. Let me rephrase: he was renowned for torturing them. This was all in service to their performances, apparently, with his methods ranging from paternalistic cruelty to psychosexual torment.
For some reason, however, Novak has said that Hitchcock was mostly fine with her, but he made it very clear he wasn’t overly enthused by her work in the film. Originally, the dual roles of Madeline and Judy were meant to be played by Vera Miles, but had to be recast when she fell pregnant. And apparently, Hitchcock wasn’t best pleased by this turn of events.
“Hitchcock didn’t like having me in his picture and he felt I was ruining it,” she told Michael Munn for his book Jimmy Stewart: Behind The Legend. “It was only after the film was finished that I heard how much he thought I’d wrecked his picture.” Novak was always someone who wanted to bring some part of herself to her work, refusing to be made into the mould of a movie star.
For Hitchcock, her opinions on her character and costume would have been his worst nightmare, given that he felt actors should simply focus on just that: acting. This disdain was probably only magnified by the loss of his first choice of actor. Luckily for Novak, Hitchcock’s coldness and disdain were balanced by the warmth and understanding of her co-star.
“Thank God I had Jimmy Stewart with me in that picture. He treated me so well,” she commented.
It might have been easy to wilt in the commanding presence of someone like Hitchcock, but with the right support, Novak was able to make it through. She even recounted the touching way that Stewart helped her navigate emotionally difficult scenes, allowing them both the time to come out of that emotionally heightened headspace, “He’d hold my hand and I would squeeze his hand so that we both had time to come down from the emotion.”
Vertigo struggled to receive much due appreciation upon release. But its actors did. Stewart was famed for being able to deliver his lines with effortless ease. However, Novak saw something different in him during filming as Stewart remained emotionally focused and thoughtfully connected to his role throughout the process. But the movie failed to grab attention.
Instead, it was pounded in the review columns as being overblown and melodramatic, and perhaps worst of all, just downright confusing. For Hitchcock fans, it remained a serious departure from the brilliance of his previous work. Novak believed that this initial response turned her into somewhat of a scapegoat, with Hitchcock blaming her for its reviews. The film has since become known as the filmmaker’s magnum opus, and for many people, Novak’s performance is one of the best aspects of the entire film.
So, who knows, maybe we wouldn’t have gotten such a great performance from the actor if Jimmy Stewart wasn’t such a sweetheart to work with.
