BRITT EKLAND

Random and bite-sized facts on all things from the mythical figure that is Britt Ekland. Totally random but totally fascinating if you're into it. Do you know Britt Ekland now?

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She Was Pregnant During The Wicker Man

Ekland discovered she was pregnant with her second child while filming The Wicker Man in Scotland. The production then used doubles for some of the scenes she couldn't perform.

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Her Scottish Accent Was Taught in a Day

Ekland was Swedish, so actress Lesley Scoble was brought in to help teach her the Scottish accent for The Wicker Man — reportedly in just one day.

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Her Wicker Man Voice Was Dubbed

Despite attempting her own Scottish dialogue, Ekland's speaking voice was dubbed in the finished film. She later said she was very unhappy about the decision.

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She Didn't Fully Appreciate The Wicker Man at First

Ekland has said that she only realised much later how important The Wicker Man had become. She hadn't even seen the finished film for years after making it.

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She Was Only in Get Carter for One Day

Ekland's memorable appearance in Get Carter was filmed in a single day. She later explained that financial problems had left her needing the £2,000 fee.

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She Was Discovered After Drama School

Ekland trained at drama school in Sweden and joined a travelling theatre group. Her stage career was soon interrupted when 20th Century Fox discovered her.

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She Once Looked Like Brigitte Bardot

As a teenager, Ekland was considered a Brigitte Bardot lookalike and actually found work because of the resemblance.

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Rod Stewart Put Her Voice on a Hit

Ekland supplied the French-language vocals heard at the end of Rod Stewart's Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright), adding an unexpected Swedish connection to the song.

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She Wasn't Always Comfortable on Stage

When Ekland returned to theatre in the 1990s, she suffered from serious stage fright. She gradually overcame it and later said she loved the direct interaction with an audience.

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She Almost Returned to The Wicker Man

In the 1980s, screenwriter Anthony Shaffer gave Ekland a script for a proposed second Wicker Man. The project never got made.

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She Met Peter Sellers After He Saw Her Photo

Sellers saw a photograph of Ekland in a newspaper and discovered they were both staying at the Dorchester. He decided he wanted to meet her.

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Peter Sellers Took Her to See Himself

When Ekland admitted she knew almost nothing about Sellers, he took her to the cinema to see The Pink Panther — starring himself.

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He Announced Their Marriage to the Press

Ekland had known Sellers for only about a week when he phoned her and said he had already told the press they were getting married. They actually married little more than three weeks after meeting.

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She Was Fired by 20th Century Fox

Ekland was under contract to 20th Century Fox, but was fired after leaving the production of Guns at Batasi. She had only recently arrived in Britain to become one of the studio's new stars.

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She Didn't Know Peter Sellers Was Famous

When she first met Sellers, Ekland knew his name mainly from gossip magazines. She had no idea how famous he actually was.

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Rod Stewart's Publicity Machine Helped Create the Story

Years later, Ekland discovered that Rod Stewart's publicity people had been behind much of the gossip and rumours surrounding their relationship. She said she hadn't realised there was a PR person working in the background.

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She Gave Up Acting for Rod Stewart

Ekland has said that she stepped back from her acting career while she was with Rod Stewart. Looking back, she described giving things up for men as a foolish mistake.

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She Wasn't Actually in the Same Room as Michael Caine

Ekland and Michael Caine both appear in Get Carter, but they never actually filmed a scene together. Her hotel-room scenes were shot separately from Caine's Newcastle scenes.

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She Used Black Tape to Protect Her Modesty

Ekland was surprisingly determined not to appear completely naked on screen. She said she regularly used black camera tape to cover herself during revealing scenes.

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She Wasn't a Fan of Being Called a Sex Symbol

Despite becoming one of the most recognisable glamour stars of the 1960s and 70s, Ekland said she never really understood what a "sex symbol" was.

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Her Wicker Man Double Was a Glasgow Dancer

When Ekland discovered she was pregnant during The Wicker Man, a Glasgow nightclub dancer called Lorraine Peters was brought in to double for some of the nude scenes.

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She Took the Night Train to London

While filming The Wicker Man in Scotland, Ekland became suspicious that she was pregnant. On a day off she took the night train to London, where a doctor confirmed it.

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Her First Film Was Made in Sweden

Her first featured film role came in the Italian comedy And So to Bed, which was filmed in Sweden. It led to another Italian film, Il Comandante, with the comedian Totò.

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She Became a Film Star in Italy First

Before she became famous in Britain, Ekland was already getting film work in Italy. Her early films included appearances alongside Alberto Sordi and Totò.

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The Wicker Man Was Much Colder Than It Looks

The film is supposed to take place on a beautiful spring island, but filming actually took place in Scotland in October and November. Ekland remembered it as grey, damp and cold.

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Leaves Were Glued Onto the Trees

The Wicker Man was supposed to look like spring even though it was being filmed in autumn. The crew actually glued leaves and blossom onto trees to make the locations look right.

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The Opening Wasn't Filmed in Scotland

The aerial shots of the island in The Wicker Man were filmed in South Africa. The production didn't have enough money to fake spring over such a large area in Scotland.

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She Didn't See The Wicker Man for Years

Ekland has said she didn't remember seeing the finished film until its later re-release. She had been pregnant during filming and did no publicity for it afterwards.

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She Thought the Film Had Been Buried

Ekland later said The Wicker Man was effectively buried when it first came out because distributors didn't know how to market such an unusual film.

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Her Get Carter Scenes Were Shot in London

Although Get Carter is strongly associated with Newcastle, Ekland's scenes were filmed in London. She and Michael Caine never actually shared the same room during filming.

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She Was Already Working in Films Before Get Carter

By the time she made Get Carter, Ekland had already appeared in films with Peter Sellers, Yul Brynner, Alberto Sordi and Totò.

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She Had a Very Different Life Off Camera

Ekland once described life with Peter Sellers as surprisingly quiet. She said he could be hugely entertaining in company, but the drive home could be completely silent.

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She Kept Diaries During The Wicker Man

Ekland has said she kept diaries throughout her career. Looking back at The Wicker Man years later, she admitted she didn't remember many of the specific details of filming.

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Peter Sellers Bought Every Flower in the Hotel

When Britt Ekland first arrived at the Dorchester, Peter Sellers tried to impress her by buying every flower in the hotel's flower shop.

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She Had a Puppy Called Pepper

Sellers gave Ekland a puppy when they first got together. She called him Pepper — and decades later she finally discovered what had happened to him.

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She Didn't Know Sellers Was a Film Star

When Ekland first met Peter Sellers, she knew his name from gossip magazines but had little idea how famous he was. He took her to see The Pink Panther to show her.

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She Did 17 Years of Pantomime

Ekland eventually became a regular on the pantomime circuit. She played everything from the Wicked Queen to the Genie and said she had appeared in almost every major panto except Peter Pan.

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Eric Sykes Was Her First Stage Partner

When Ekland first went on a professional stage, she was working with Eric Sykes. She later remembered him as incredibly kind and helpful during her first play and tour.

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Her Car Became a Cupboard

In a 2005 interview Ekland joked that her car had effectively become a cupboard because she used it to store so much stuff.

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She Once Wrote in Her Diary in Blood

As a teenager, Ekland said she was so dramatic about falling in love that she once wrote in her diary in blood while listening to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

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Rod Stewart Had Very Thin Legs

Ekland was once asked whose legs were longer — hers or Rod Stewart's. Her answer was hers, explaining that Stewart had very thin legs but she had a short upper body and long legs.

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She Didn't Want to Be Completely Naked

Ekland was famous for glamorous roles but was actually very cautious about nudity. She used black camera tape to cover herself during revealing film scenes.

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She Played Almost Every Panto Character

Over her years in pantomime, Ekland played the Wicked Queen, the Genie and many other roles. The one major panto character she never played was Peter Pan.

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She Was Still Doing Panto in Her Seventies

Even after decades of film and television work, Ekland was still regularly appearing in British pantomime. She described it as some of the hardest work she had ever done.

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