
That was also the year Warner Bros. Studios signed the star to a contract for seven years (via Yahoo News). But the terms of her contract would prove difficult for Wood. She expressed concerns about not having the freedom to choose her own roles. Then came the unexpected: Wood’s sudden resistance. The following year she was cast in the film “The Searchers,” which upset her because she didn’t feel that she was properly cast, says Biography. And that wasn’t the only film she resisted. Wood was cast to star in two films, titled “The Miracle” and “A Summer Place.” But she had other ideas.
She fought with the studio and did not show up to work on either film, ultimately refusing the two roles. Her absence was her particular way of showing that she was protesting the terms of her contract, and by extension, the studio. Wood was adamant about having a say in what roles she wanted to take, a decision rarely allowed actors.
In another demonstration of her protest, Wood was expected to show up to work on a film titled “The Young Philadelphians.” Again, she did not show up on the set. In 1959, Warner Bros. finally had a response to her on-set behavior, in the form of a suspension. The studio said the dispute was over money, per The Washington Post. However, Wood always maintained that it was actually over her inability to make a choice about the roles she was given (via The New Yorker).