FAQ

Yes she was indeed. Producer Ray Stark and star William Holden favored the unknown Nancy Kwan for the part, but the studio preferred France Nuyen because she was better known for starring in South Pacific.

They filmed a few location shots in Hong Kong with her and were about halfway through when she was recast. There's no definite word on why - some say that Marlon Brando's affair with another woman was causing her to behave erratically, that she overate and gained too much weight to fit into her costumes, that she fought too much with producers and there's even a wild rumour that she became pregnant. She had limited English and had to learn her lines phonetically as well, so that could have been a contributing factor.

For whatever reasons - though Ray Stark may have been looking for any reason to get rid of her (he also got the original director fired) - she was replaced with Nancy Kwan (who had a small role as a bar girl initially).

The reverse would happen years later in The Joy Luck Club - and Suzie Wong was the reason. Nancy Kwan was courted for a part, but she objected to a line in the script calling Suzie Wong "a horrible, racist film" and the filmmakers refused to remove it. So she walked, and France Nuyen was cast in her place.

Chicago American, Wednesday, February 1, 1961:

ANN MARSTERS

"The World of Suzie Wong" is now in its 6th week in the Woods theater and shows no signs of weakening. Business is great!

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