1 of Ann-Margret’s Movies Gave Her Nightmares and Her Dad Refused to See It
Ann-Margret made a number of classic movies — including one her dad did not want to see. Interestingly, she shared the screen with Jack Nicholson in the film. Here’s a look at a film which gave her nightmares during production — and a look at who won the Oscar instead of her.
Ann-Margret had ‘nightmares’ while working on one of her movies
For Interview Magazine, Ann-Margret and George Hamilton interviewed each other. Hamilton is an actor most known for his roles in Zorro, The Gay Blade, The Godfather Part III, Doc Hollywood , and 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag. During the interview, Hamilton opined Ann-Margret was only seen as a serious actor after her role in Carnal Knowledge.
“Well, I remember reading the script and knowing that I had to do it and thinking about the place I’d need to get to in order to do that part right, which was reaching way, way down,” she responded. “It was quite an experience. I actually had nightmares.”
Afterward, Hamilton asked Ann-Margret if she was surprised by how Carnal Knowledge was received. “I was surprised… and so grateful,” she replied. “You know, my father had never seen the movie. He was very proud that I had gotten such praise for my acting, but he never saw it. I’m an only child—his little girl—and he just couldn’t see it. It would have been upsetting for him.” For context, the film was quite sexually explicit for the time.
What Ann-Margret thought about Jack Nicholson
In addition, Hamilton asked Ann-Margret what she remembered about acting alongside Nicholson in Carnal Knowledge. “Oh, he was so wonderful with me,” she recalled. “We had a scene where I was crying and he was shouting and screaming. He always made sure I was okay, and then he would end up going home with laryngitis from all the screaming. That’s the kind of guy he was.”
How the world reacted to ‘Carnal Knowledge’ and Ann-Margret’s performance in it
Ann-Margret had some happy memories of working on Carnal Knowledge — and the public seemed to like the film as well. According to IMDb, Carnal Knowledge earned over $28 million at the American and Canadian box offices. In addition, the film was a critical success. It garnered a 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
For her performance, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She lost the award to Cloris Leachman for her performance in The Last Picture Show. She would subsequently be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Who’s Tommy, only to get beaten by Louise Fletcher for playing Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Even though she lost the Oscar for Carnal Knowledge, Ann-Margret was still grateful for the reception of the film — even if her dad never saw the movie.
