Kim Novak is being criticized for the “ghastly” cosmetic treatments she got in a bid to recover the young beauty that made her one of Hollywood’s leading women in the ’50s and ’60s.
The 91-year-old actress, best remembered for her performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, acknowledges that as she grew older, she fell “into the trap” and that injecting her fears was the “stupidest” thing she could have done.
Kim Novak, who was born February 13, 1933, is best known as the screen siren in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), a psychological thriller she starred alongside James Stewart.
Novak’s depiction of Madeleine Elster and Judy Barton is considered one of her most memorable performances, and Vertigo is regarded as one of the best films in cinema history.
“I think there was a little edge to my performance that I was trying to suggest that I would not allow myself to be pushed beyond a certain point, that I was there, I was me, and I insisted on myself,” the Golden Globe winner told Roger Ebert of her character. “I think you can see a little of me resisting that in some of the shots, kind of insisting on my own identity.”
Though the gender symbol achieved fame as a big screen performer, the Picnic star felt “disillusioned” with Hollywood and a job that forced her to be someone else.
“I believe that we have all struggled throughout our lives to be who others want us to be. And last, ‘But do you love who I am?’ In a 1996 interview, the star of Just a Gigolo stated that they adore you if you behave the way they want you to.
I had enough.
Novak transitioned from cinema to television, appearing as a series regular in Falcon Crest (1986–1987) until retiring after working on the 1991 film Liebestraum.
“I wasn’t comprehended. I felt I had nothing to offer,” she stated of her choice to depart from Hollywood. “People treated me as if I were a packaged commodity…”That stung a lot.Finally, I’d had enough; I couldn’t do it.”
“I felt like I was going to have to be this blank canvas all the time; what happens when someone wants to quit painting on that canvas? The canvas ages and rots, and that is the end of it. It does not even get recycled.”
Novak, who also suffers from bipolar disorder, abandoned Hollywood in favor of painting and rearing horses with her second husband, Robert Molloy, whom she met when he was treating one of her ailing animals. Novak remained with the veterinarian, her “soul mate,” until his d3ath in 2020.
‘Ghastly operations’
Novak was invited to the Oscars on March 2, 2014, to present the award for best animated short film alongside Matthew McConaughey.
It was her first Hollywood appearance in more than 20 years.
“I just have to take a minute to say that I’m really glad to be here. It’s been a long time, but I’m glad to be with the Academy here tonight,” she said onstage.
After seeing the rarely seen star at 81, the actor received plenty of harsh jabs about her appearance.
‘I was caught off guard.’
The rude words struck her deeply.
“For days, I didn’t leave the house, it got to me like it gets to kids and teenagers,” she added of the criticism. “I thought, ‘Perhaps Hollywood is ready to receive me in a different way.'” I was simply not expecting such a bad reaction, and it threw me off guard.”
Responding to the hatred that drove her unwillingness to leave her house, Novak became resolved to speak out against the bullies who had abu::sed her.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, the star of The Man with the Golden Arm wrote, “After my appearance on the Oscars this year, I read all the jabs.” I don’t dispute having fat injections in my face, as Donald Trump and others have said. In my opinion, everyone has the right to look their best, and I feel better when I do.
Novak also stated that she took a medication to help her relax and now “regrets taking it.”
