Clint Eastwood was reportedly never supposed to kiss 12-year-old Pamelyn Ferdin in The Beguiled, but he did. And that kiss? Totally unscripted. He was supposed to just cover my mouth, according to Ferdin’s statement in a 1995 interview (via IMDb trivia). Well, that bewildered reaction from a child actor became one of the film’s most haunting moments.
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The Beguiled (1971), a dark Civil War-era thriller drenched in Southern Gothic tension, may have showcased Eastwood in one of his most manipulative roles, but for Ferdin, it reportedly marked an eerie moment of unscripted history. Her role in The Toolbox Murders, the voice of Fern in Charlotte’s Web, and countless TV guest spots followed until Hollywood lost its hold on her. She became a nurse and then an outspoken animal rights activist.
So, where did the girl Eastwood kissed go next? And how did this controversial scene shape the legacy of The Beguiled?
What Pamelyn Ferdin Is Doing Now: Inside Her Childhood, Hollywood Career & Life After Fame
Pamelyn Ferdin was practically born into the spotlight. Born in Los Angeles in 1959 to Kenneth and Wanda Ferdin, she was already acting by age three, first appearing in a hair color commercial. She told The Washington Times in 2016:
My mom put me in the business. I had a very Hollywood mother. She put me in, and I just started getting role after role after role.
Her career reads like a vintage television time capsule: from The Brady Bunch to Bewitched, Star Trek, The Odd Couple, and Family Affair. Ferdin was everywhere, sometimes even uncredited (The Reluctant Astronaut), other times providing iconic voice work (Lucy Van Pelt in Peanuts, Fern in Charlotte’s Web, Sally in The Cat in the Hat).
She was nearly cast as Regan in The Exorcist, but casting directors felt she was too recognizable. Here’s a quick look at some of her notable film roles:
In the late 1970s, Ferdin stepped away from acting. She studied nursing, graduated in 1981, and worked at UCLA Medical Center. But the stage lights would never fully dim; she soon found another kind of spotlight: activism. By the mid-1990s, Ferdin was a passionate and, at times, controversial animal rights activist. She led campaigns, staged protests, and even served jail time for demonstrations, including a 2006 trespassing conviction tied to her work with the Animal Defense League in Los Angeles.
Ferdin became president of SHAC USA (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty) after Kevin Kjonaas resigned amidst federal indictments. She claimed to be the group’s “squeaky-clean” face but warned that convictions would trigger violence (per Salon). The boldness didn’t stop there. In 2004, she publicly accused the parents of a child killed in a coyote attack of covering up a murder, all in defense of local wildlife.
She served 36 hours of a 90-day jail sentence due to overcrowding. Her activism has always come with sharp edges and sharper consequences. On the personal front, she married surgeon Jerry Vlasak in 1986, later divorcing in 2008.
Today, she remains vegan, an advocate for adoption over buying pets, and a defiant voice in the animal rights world.
Clint Eastwood’s The Beguiled Was Later Remade by Sofia Coppola: Cast, Box Office & Critical Reception
The Beguiled (1971) wasn’t your typical Clint Eastwood gunslinger tale. Directed by Don Siegel and based on Thomas Cullinan’s 1966 novel, the film saw Eastwood as a manipulative Union soldier ensnared in a Southern girls’ school. Still, decades later, filmmaker Sofia Coppola saw something more.
She told Film School Rejects:
When I saw the movie, it was so fascinating to me that these macho filmmakers – Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood – would make a story set in a girl’s school in the South. It’s such a male point of view of a group of women that I thought ‘Okay, I want to tell that story from the women’s point of view.
In 2017, she did exactly that, recasting the story with Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning. Coppola’s version was quieter, artful, and re-centered mostly on the female perspective. Here’s how the two versions stack up:
The 2017 remake grossed $27.9 million worldwide, with $10.7 million from the U.S. box office (per Box Office Mojo). While it wasn’t a blockbuster, the film drew attention for its atmospheric direction and feminist take.
What do you think? Was The Beguiled a boundary-pushing masterpiece or a problematic relic of its time? Drop your hot takes, cold truths, or lukewarm opinions in the comments below.
Both The Beguiled are available to be rented on Apple TV.
