Patty McCormack, now 80, looks unrecognisable from the chilling child star who terrified audiences in the 1956 psychological thriller The Bad Seed. At just 11 years old, she earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of the seemingly innocent yet deeply unsettling Rhoda Penmark. The film, which Stephen King later hailed as one of his favourite horror flicks, earned over $4 million at the box office and received four Oscar nominations.
In a recent appearance on the It Happened in Hollywood podcast, McCormack opened up about the highs and lows of early fame. She credited her 'pretty solid family' for keeping her grounded, noting that they 'weren't that impressed' by her sudden success. 'It didn't rock their world, so that was helpful,' she said. Her mother was not a typical stage mother, she added: 'She was more surprised, I think, at the turn of events than anything, because it wasn't a planned future for me. It came by accident.'
McCormack admitted she worked hard to distance herself from her iconic role. 'I did my best to separate myself from that role and reputation,' she said. For years, the performance brought little recognition, as people rarely discussed past achievements. 'Back then, there was that awful, awful thing of being a one-hit wonder,' she explained. In the 1960s, she worked in international low-budget films as an 'ingénue,' but 'never did they connect my past with what I was doing in the present.'
Over time, The Bad Seed became a cult classic. 'People started to appreciate the history of people's careers,' McCormack said. 'Also, my character was kind of cool.' A friend told her that people identified with Rhoda because she 'went against the grain of what was expected.' McCormack reflected: 'That was an important thing for everybody in life as they were questioning their own sexuality, choices that they were free to make, stuff like that. Rhoda had a lot of stuff for a seemingly delicate little girl.'
McCormack continued to have a flourishing career after her child star days, with roles including a part on the 1979 sitcom The Ropers, Liz La Cerva in The Sopranos, and Pat Nixon in Frost/Nixon. She has also kept up stage work. Now at 80, she said: 'I have great freedom now. You have to be old enough where it doesn't matter.'
