Nancy Allen is an actress best known for her roles in Carrie, Dressed To Kill and the RoboCop Trilogy. She sat down with Judy Kain on her podcast Hollywood Game Changers to discuss moving to Los Angeles, preparing for roles and being cast as Chris Hargensen in Carrie.
The following is an excerpt from Nancy Allen’s Hollywood Game Changers interview:
Nancy Allen as Chris Hargensen in Carrie.
Nancy: Here’s the game changer: It was 1975, and I started commercials in 1966 (which seems like a century ago). I woke up one day and I thought, “I can’t do it, I have sold everything there is to sell in commercials”. I remember that little scene I did in the movie with Nicholson and I felt that I wanted to do more of it, because I loved movies since I was a little girl. I thought to myself “I’m packing up and going west”. It was waking up and saying that I needed to make a change, and if I didn’t do it now, I’d never do it. That’s how I felt.
Judy: Did you know anybody in California?
Nancy: I had one girlfriend who had moved there. After I made the decision to go, I had talked to this one manager who gave me the names of five agents that I could call (the shy girl was used to cold calling at this point). I called the woman first (user-friendly) who didn’t have my picture in front of her (the manager was “theoretically” supposed to send my picture ahead of time). She asked how old I was, and I told her that I was 25, and she said “honey, you’re too old and you’re not worth the investment of my time”. That riled me up (which later, was a good thing). Commercials were a good training ground for me to think “okay, what’s next”, instead of “oh no, I’m crushed! I’m going to die!”. Back to the story, I wanted to say “too old!? You haven’t even looked at me, I don’t even look like 25!”. I made the next call, then the next call until someone said yes to representing me. That agent basically did nothing. I said to him at some point, “do you need some pictures? After a few months I thought the whole thing was ridiculous. I wasn’t earning a living and I thought I should go back home so at least I could work. There was no commercial business in LA—almost NONE in those days. It was terrible! The commercials were mostly in New York and Chicago. I thought to myself that I would just get through thanksgiving and then head back. One day I was at the Beverly Hills Health Club for women and I was coming out of the steam room and I heard someone call my name, “Nancy? Is that Nancy Allen?” I turned around to see Harriet Helberg who cast me in many commercials in New York. It was so good to finally see a friendly face. She asked me who my agent was because she was casting for a movie. I gave her the name of my agent and she said, “oh that’s funny, I called him and he said he didn’t have anybody”. She went on, “look, it’s the last day tomorrow, you’re not going to get this part but at least you’re going to get to read for somebody, come pick up the script.” I lived in West Hollywood so I went to Culver City and picked up the script which was based on a book. I went to the library and got the book and stayed up reading the book.
Judy: People—note all of the things she did. She drove over and picked up the script. That’s what we used to do back then. There was no sending it online or googling it.
Nancy: Yeah, there was none of that. I read it and there was not a lot of information, so to figure out who the character was, I started writing a biography. I never learned that in the acting class but I was just so excited to have an opportunity. I went there and there was a line of so many people, two by two. It was the last casting and I was the last person of the last day to read. I did something and I heard the director laugh and I thought to myself “okay, that’s good.” Then I left and went home and felt really good that I had prepared, until I went into full on panic that I had left my notes of the biography there, thinking “OH MY GOD! Someone is going to see this! I’m so bad!” By the time I got home, there was a call saying that they were going to screen test me and that was Carrie! It didn’t come easy, I tested with one other guy (each person tested with two people). When John Travolta came in, I thought to myself “oh well, he’s going to get the part and I didn’t rehearse with him! I guess I’m done! Whoever rehearsed with him is going to get the part!” But—it worked out! It was days later on a Monday when I got a call from Harriett Helberg, who was whispering on the phone “Nancy, It’s Harriet, they’re watching the screening now of the test. You’re getting this part, they love you,” I hung up and called my mother, “mom, I got a part in a movie!”. The next day, my friend and I went to go celebrate with a champagne brunch and the phone rang, “Nancy, it’s Harriet, listen, I shouldn’t have said anything but the producer wants to keep looking, they’re going to go to New York”, and out of my mouth came “but I told my mother!”. That was November, months went by and at the end of January they booked me in a little part (there wasn’t even a name for the part in the script). They were all invited to the screening of this previous film the director did. Sissy is there, Irving’s there, Katt is there, John’s there, and I was there. They said “I guess we all got the part” and I replied, “nope, I didn’t”. The next day they called me back into read and I read with Amy and Brian told me I got the part. It was weird—I should have been really elated but I just said “oh, okay”.
Judy: Wow, You were up, you were down, you were in, and you were out.
Nancy: That can relate to anything you go out for, anything in this business. Never count on anything, but be prepared!
Hear more from Nancy Allen and other game changing industry professionals by subscribing to Hollywood Game Changers Podcast. Visit the Hollywood Game Changers YouTube Page to watch clips and full interviews with guests.
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