In a stunning revelation that rocks the foundations of classic Hollywood cinema, Vertigo icon Kim Novak has detailed the horrific pressure she faced from director Alfred Hitchcock and Columbia Pictures to terminate a pregnancy during filming.
The bombshell claims emerge in a powerful new documentary, Kim Novak: Her Own Story, exposing the dark underbelly of the golden age of filmmaking where studios controlled stars' most personal decisions.
The Heartbreaking Choice
Novak, now 90, recounts becoming pregnant during the production of the 1958 masterpiece. Rather than celebrating the news, the studio hierarchy saw it as a threat to their investment.
'They didn't want anything to interfere with the image they were creating,' Novak reveals in the documentary, describing how both Hitchcock and Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn presented her with an ultimatum that tore at her very soul.
Studio Machinery Versus Humanity
The documentary paints a grim picture of an era where studios treated actors as property rather than people. Novak's personal life and choices became corporate decisions, with her body treated as just another asset to manage.
This shocking account reveals the immense psychological toll exacted by the old studio system, where female stars particularly faced impossible choices between their careers and personal lives.
Legacy of a Hollywood Icon
Despite the trauma, Novak's performance in Vertigo remains one of cinema's most enduring and studied portrayals. Her dual role as Madeleine Elster and Judy Barton continues to captivate audiences and critics alike.
The documentary promises to redefine how we view both Novak's legacy and the Hitchcock mythology, exposing the human cost behind some of cinema's greatest achievements.
This revelation comes as Hollywood continues to grapple with issues of autonomy and abuse, proving that some battles from the golden age still resonate painfully today.
