They almost didn't have Paris, or Casablanca
A new biography of Ingrid Bergman casts fresh light on the making of the 1942 classic Casablanca, in which none of its three stars wanted to appear. They never suspected that their roles would become the best-remembered of their careers.
In the newly published Ingrid, Charlotte Chandler tells of a lunch Bergman and Humphrey Bogart had before filming. She comments that “Ingrid remembered that the only subject they found in common was how much they both wanted to get out of Casablanca.”
Paul Henreid, newly arrived from Europe, also objected to his casting as Victor Laszlo, the underground leader and husband of Ilse, Bergman's character. He complained to his friend Bette Davis that his secondary role would harm his new career in Hollywood.
Chandler quotes Davis' reply: “You are wrong, wrong, wrong.” She went on to convince Henreid that Casablanca would be a step forward in his American career.
All three stars were concerned that the Casablanca script was unfinished. Unanswered was the question of whether Ilse would stay in Morocco with her lover, the hard-bitten café operator Rick, or escape with her husband. It was agreed to film two endings.
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In the newly published Ingrid, Charlotte Chandler tells of a lunch Bergman and Humphrey Bogart had before filming. She comments that “Ingrid remembered that the only subject they found in common was how much they both wanted to get out of Casablanca.”
Paul Henreid, newly arrived from Europe, also objected to his casting as Victor Laszlo, the underground leader and husband of Ilse, Bergman's character. He complained to his friend Bette Davis that his secondary role would harm his new career in Hollywood.
Chandler quotes Davis' reply: “You are wrong, wrong, wrong.” She went on to convince Henreid that Casablanca would be a step forward in his American career.
All three stars were concerned that the Casablanca script was unfinished. Unanswered was the question of whether Ilse would stay in Morocco with her lover, the hard-bitten café operator Rick, or escape with her husband. It was agreed to film two endings.