Kim Novak: On Leaving Hollywood at the Height of Her Fame

In this conversation with Julian Schlossberg, she recalls resisting studio boss Harry Cohn’s attempt to change her name, finding her way into roles by drawing the characters, and the charged Picnic dance with William Holden—shot as a tornado bore down on a nearby town. Kim Novak’s first film screen test began a Hollywood career she would later leave at its height to return to painting and a quieter life among animals. Novak also reflects on Frank Sinatra, the directors who valued her quiet, instinctive approach, and why she often felt she was living two lives: one as a star, the other as herself.