This picture of Joan Crawford on the set contains an accidental photographic effect, blurring the actress's face. It never would have been used to promote the film but it remains in the Mildred Pierce production files at the Warner Archive. It’s a strangely eerie photograph of the legendary perfectionist as she situates herself on Veda’s bed for a scene.

    Regarding the prestige she received for her performance, and her studio rival Bette Davis, Crawford said, “So many people have written that I was a star, not an actress. They wrote that Bette Davis was an actress and a star, a real actress.

    “I knew I was as much an actress as she was. But I wasn’t as hurt as you might think because I loved being called a star, and even more being a star. But it was nice with Mildred Pierce to finally be certified as an actress” (Chandler 2009,169). ​

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Works Cited:

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Chandler, Charlotte. ​2009. Not the Girl Next Door. Milwaukee: Applause.